The perfect gift
by Maroon-dragon
Summary: A birthday gift from Birkhoff to Alex leads to so much more.
1. Perfect

**AN well my other Balex story is officially closed, so here I am starting a new one….which I sooo shouldn't do. But the other fandoms have more than enough stories to keep them busy. **

It was the seventh of January and almost everyone in the resistance residence was gathered in the kitchen.

"You know I get that we need to do something for her birthday, but did we really have to get up at five am." Birkhoff grumbled as he drained his second energy drink of the day.

"If we want to have everything finished before she wakes up, yes." Nikita muttered as she accidentally hit him with a plastic bowl on her way past him. Michael was already counting eggs under the careful directions of Ryan.

"Do any of you even know how to cook?" He asked, grabbing a priceless piece of machinery out Nikita her hands. It was Alex her birthday and with all the stress they were under they felt it was necessary to have some fun. Birkhoff was however, fearing for his kitchen with the way the other three were moving around.

"It can't be that difficult, we have the recipe. No Michael we need three eggs for one cake but we want it twice this size, which means six not five." Ryan pointed out trying to get everything sorted.

" It seems like you guys have everything under control, just leave my kitchen in one piece okay? Call me when you guys start icing the cake, that's when the real fun begins!" Grabbing another energy drink Birkhoff moved out of the kitchen.

"You are not going to help for Alex her birthday? Come on Nerd she is your friend too!" Michael called after his retreating back. It didn't have any use as Birkhoff had already put in his earplugs and started working on something with a small laser. "Jerk!" Michael muttered. Baking the cake however took more than either of the participants had realized. Following the recipe turned into trying to stay as close to it as they could. Half the bag of flower ended up over Michael as Nikita stumbled on some bowl Ryan had dropped a second earlier. One egg broke on the counter, leaving a gory mess there in combination with the spilled flower. It caused a lot of commotion and laughter, unfortunately they also forgot to be silent.

"What's going on around here?" Alex questioned as she walked into the destroyed kitchen. Everyone froze with what they were doing. She was clearly still riddled with sleep or she would have laughed at the rather strange sight of three agents trying to bake a cake, and failing miserably.

"Congratulations!" Nikita suddenly exclaimed, rushing forward to hug the shocked girl. That activated the guys to come out of their own stupor and congratulate the girl as well.

"Okay, thanks you guys…but that still doesn't explain what you guys are doing here in the kitchen?" Her pointed look made the other three look around and see exactly how big of a mess they had made.

"Well we are trying to make you a birthday cake." Ryan took a step backwards as if expecting some sort of punishment.

"And while they are trying and failing at that, they also decided to destroy my kitchen." Birkhoff commented from his desk. "Congrats, by the way."

"Maybe the destruction of the kitchen wouldn't have actually happened if you had helped us Nerd." Michael bit back.

"I had better things to do, thank you." The other man waved away his comment.

"Like what? Playing with your toys? Getting a gamers thumb?"

"Guys please…" Alex cut in, already dreading what was going to come. At least it reminded her of her birthdays at home. Her mother had always a row with her father when she thought the gift too expensive. Which was always.

"I was busy finishing Alex her gift." Birkhoff bit back as he handed Alex a small box.

"You got me a gift?" because they were all wanted people they rarely visited shops. Even the groceries were home delivered. She hadn't exactly expected any gifts considering their delicate situation. Not that she had actually expected them to remember in the first place.

"Well technically it is home-made. So the only brand-name that baby has got is Shadow walker." He pointed out. Curiously she opened the black box and nearly dropped it when she saw what was inside. A beautiful silver bracelet was in the box. It's frame was an intricate design of silver ribbons, giving it an ethereal kind of look. In the middle there was a light blue diamond, just the right size. Not big enough to be too flashy but not too small to fall away in the silver design.

"This is homemade?" She exclaimed as she got it out of the box.

"Well there was a case a few years back where Percy wanted a real diamond necklace replaced with one that could be mistaken for the real version. I made the machine that could produce fake diamonds with the exactly same cut and learned how to mold silver. It came in rather handy with making this." He shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.

As she moved the silver bracelet in the sunlight she noticed there was something etched underneath the diamond. It stated her name, her date of birth. "From the one _and only;_ Shadow walker." She laughed. "Thank you Birkhoff, it's the best gift anyone has ever given me." She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Which made him redden, getting a knowing smirk from Michael.

Nikita pulled at Alex her arm trying to get a better look at the piece of jewelry, Ryan and Michael joined her as well. "Nerd this is one impressive piece of work." Nikita praised as she made the fake diamond catch the light.

"Yes, well it's fake…so don't try cutting through any windows or something stupid like that." Trying to take away some of the looks he was getting. It was just a gift, nothing more.

"Are you kidding me, I'm not sure I even will wear it. I'd hate for something to happen to it." The smile Alex gave him made sure he knew how much the gift was appreciated. "I'm going to take a shower you guys." She took a look around the kitchen. "You might want to clean up the kitchen." And then she was gone.

Her door was open, and usually he wouldn't peek into anyone their room, god knows he was still scarred from the accidental glimpse in Nikita and Michael their room, but the door was wide open. You were just inviting people to look into your room when you did that. Alex was standing near her dresser and from the looks of it she had been crying.

"Alex, is everything okay?" he knocked on the door first, which startled her.

"Oh yes, everything is fine Birkhoff." She wiped away a few of the tears that were still on her cheeks.

"It doesn't look fine to me. Look I know I'm not Nikita or something, but do you want to talk?" the last thing he wanted to do was deal with an emotional female; he never was good with emotions, or females for that matter.

"It's nothing really. I'm just being very silly." She gave him a smile that was probably meant as reassuring, but didn't really get the message across.

"Okay, do you want to explain that or is this that once of the month thing you females go through?" He so did not want to hear anything about _that_. She laughed.

"No it is not one of those monthly things. It was just your gift…"

"Now look if you don't like it, it doesn't matter…" he cut her off.

"Birkhoff I absolutely love it, no one has ever done something like this for me before. It must have taken you hours to make this thing." He only now noticed she was holding the box with the bracelet in it.

"Well it wasn't that much work….but wait if you love it, why are you crying?" Gods women were confusing as hell.

"It's just that…oh how can I explain this." She huffed. "I have had the most outrageous gifts when I was younger. Expensive, large and the latest designer things money could buy. While my father never approved of laptops and mp3s and such, he did like to spoil me. He even bought me a horse when I was eight." She crashed down on her bed.

"I'm still not really following here Princess." He leaned back against the door, still not getting her point.

"We are friends Birkhoff, and like you said I usually go to Nikita and such, and yet you gave me a better gift than those people who loved me ever did. You made an effort to create something beautiful, just for me." Her face said something like 'Are you getting the point now?' but he still wasn't getting it. "I was crying because I was happy Birkhoff!"

"Right, remind me to never make you a gift like that again then." He joked as he finally relaxed.

"Well I would love to have a matching set of earrings. Seriously though, you could start your own jewelry line when all this is over."

"Oh please Sunshine, the nerd vibe doesn't particularly help with the ladies. I do not need the gay vibe added to it as well. That would absolutely kill my social life."

"I don't think this makes you gay Birkhoff, and any girl would be lucky to date a man who can make her the most beautiful and unique jewelry in the world. Not to mention you are loaded. How did no one in Division ever know that?" She moved across the bed till she was sitting with her back against the headboard.

"Do you really think I'd tell Percy I have more than a few millions in my bank-account. It would be used by Division in seconds. Your married to them, what's mine is yours and all that crap." He moved over to sit next to her on the bed, it was a lot more comfortable than the wooden door.

"It would have helped you with getting the respect from the recruits. They weren't particularly fond of you." Alex joked.

"Oh please like I'd need their respect. They are the ones that are being send outside to be slaughtered, I did all the fancy computer work. Not to mention I can take any of them in hand to hand combat." He boasted.

"I'm sure you can." The sarcasm was dripping from her voice.

"Oh you don't believe me, miss hotshot? I'll prove it to you then, tonight you and me in the gym. Let's see whose laughing then." The challenge was on.

"Oh really, are you forgetting I was trained by Nikita. I am going to kick your ass."

"Just make sure you do not break a nail, honey." He cajoled back, inspecting his own fingers as if she wasn't important enough to look at.

"Oh I won't, just don't do any hair-pulling its combat, not a bitch-fight." They held the serious straight faces for about ten seconds before they burst into laughter. A call about starting the icing of the cake made them get off the bed.

"Hey Birkhoff." She called before he left the room. "Thanks again for the gift and not calling me an idiot just now."

He gave her a small grin "No problem Alex. By the way, just because I didn't say it, didn't mean I didn't think it." He closed the door behind him before the pair of socks could hit him in the face. "Good to see you are feeling better." He yelled through the door, another thump of socks hitting the door made him smile. Things weren't always easy around here, but Alex sure as hell made them fun.

There were five different colors of icing available: a lot of white as that was going to be the base, green, blue, red and purple were there to be made into festive letters and decorations. It started out exactly as they planned, covering the cake with it, until one fatal accident. Michael was getting rather bored as the girls put of the white icing and started twiddling with his spoon accidently launching a big goop of green icing. The blob of green stuff flew through the air hitting Nikita full on her forehead. You would think a spy would have the reflexes to duck. Nikita narrowed her eyes and then scooped up a big ball of white goo. Michael backed away his hands raised in defense, only to duck when the projectile was fired. It missed Michael but hit Ryan in the face who had been standing behind the other man. Deciding not to miss out on the fun Birkhoff launched a red missile at an unsuspecting Alex. The red icing hit its target right on the back of her neck, dripping down the back of her shirt. She turned around eyes blazing. "THIS MEANS WAR!" She yelled shooting some blue goo back at Birkhoff. The two females grabbed the white and blue bowls ducking behind the counter while the guys grabbed the remaining three.

While the guys conversed about how to attack, Nikita and Alex build a rough version of a paintball gun with the available kitchenware. It was a good thing Division trained agents to be inventive when in a serious situation. The first shot missed Ryan by an inch, hitting a small photograph instead bringing it down to the floor. The message was clear though; the girls were armed and not afraid to use it.  
The guys had huddled behind the other part of the kitchen counter which was unfortunately not equipped with material to make a gun. With a couple of silent hand-movements the guys split up. Michael took the middle aiming with his spoon to shoot as many colorful missiles over the counter to keep the girls preoccupied. The other two guys circled the island from both sides to make sure they couldn't escape. The first look Birkhoff threw around the corner gave him a white face and he quickly moved back trying to get the icing out of his eyes and nose. Ryan took a blow to the shoulder, which while not that terrible still landed pretty hard from such a close distance. "Now!" Birkhoff yelled and they moved quickly to capture the two girls. Nikita and Alex shot up to be able to defend themselves better only to end up being sitting ducks for Michael who didn't seem to be slowing down with his spoons. They were all being battered with several colors but eventually they ran out of icing. Nikita went first throwing her hands up in surrender after which Michael and Birkhoff had to give up as well. The last shot was fired by Alex, giving Ryan a beautiful blue hairdo.

While the kitchen had looked rather messy earlier that day because of the cake batter, now it was a festive mix of colors dripping of the walls and cabinets. Alex grinned "Well I am the birthday girl….so have fun cleaning up." She joked as she ran off in search of a warm shower, leaving the other agents to the mess.

**AN: Well this is it for now but this one it really to be continued. I am also wondering whether I should start an original story of my own (so just fiction not FANfiction ;) ). What do you guys think? **


	2. easily distracted

**AN thanks you guys for the lovely reviews. I forgot to put a disclaimer the previous times but I think it's rather obvious I do not own it. **

Icing was a lot of fun to play with, but it sure as hell was terrible to get out of her hair. The strands all stuck together and it didn't seem to change much underneath the warm water of the shower. The floor in the shower was covered in all the goo that had already been washed of her body, creating a colorful mix. It was her second shower of the day, but Alex didn't really care about that. The water always made her feel relaxed and clean. Something she hadn't felt much in her life.

"I just need to grab a towel Michael!" Birkhoff called as he walked into the bathroom with his hand shielding him from the view inside the shower.

"BIRKHOFF! GET OUT!" Alex called as she tried to cover herself up as much as she could. The startled man forgot to not look at who was in the shower and for a second was at a loss for words as he quite openly stared at her.

"BIRKHOFF!" Alex snapped at him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I thought Michael was in this bathroom. I just need a towel." He had covered his eyes again and blindly tried to find the right cabinet. Frustrated Alex hit him in the back of his head with the towel she had grabbed for herself. "GET OUT!" she yelled once again as the man scurried out of the room. Once the door was once again closed and properly locked she let herself think again. A giggle escaped her as she remembered the absolute flushed look on Birkhoff his face when he realized it wasn't Michael in the shower. His clear appreciation hadn't gone unnoticed either. While Alex didn't like being stared at like that, it was a nice compliment to get. She was however not sure whether she could look at Birkhoff normally after this though.

He was so embarrassed. He thought Michael had gone into that bathroom, and while it wasn't exactly great to walk in on anybody Birkhoff had really needed a towel. Instead he finds Alex in the shower. If he didn't feel so terrible about it he might actually have enjoyed the view. She was definitely a beautiful woman. He wasn't sure he could look at her again without remembering her wet body. Oh god, he really needed a cold shower.

"I am placing my bets on Birkhoff." Michael muttered to Nikita as they took their seats in the basement.

"No way, nerd will not beat Alex. I taught her after all." The battle between Alex and Birkhoff had everyone downstairs where there was a training area. Of course there was not to be any lasting damage done to the other participant, considering they might have another mission in a couple of days.

"I'm not sure Nikita; Birkhoff was already in division when I was recruited…he is rumored to be pretty good but because of his talents with the computer had to stay out of fighting. Can't break his fingers of course." The two fighters came from the changing area and took their respective positions.

"I heard, but Alex is faster on her feet and knows how to improvise."

"I think it will be a good match to watch anyhow, but I will be placing my bets on Alex. If I learned anything about Birkhoff is that I don't think he has it in him to throw really hard punches when it's his friends involved." Ryan added to the conversation, but they soon all shut up as Alex landed her first kick.

The kick was intercepted by Birkhoff grabbing her leg; throwing up her other leg she made her body twist kicking him in the face with the other foot. He spit out a bit of blood from the split lip she had given him. "You want to play it hard, you'll get it hard." He growled. With a speed Alex had not anticipated he moved forward landing a couple of hard punches around her chest area making her pull up her arms in defense. Grabbing one of her wrists he swirled her around so her back was against his chest. He placed his arm around her throat, placing her in a choke hold but not actually choking her. Instead of trying to struggle to get out of the grip and move away from Birkhoff she leaned back, placing her full wait against his chest. Pushing off hard against the ground with her feet he lost his balance, letting her go in favor of trying to catch his fall. Flipping over she straddled the surprised genius, putting his hands above his head. "Got anything to say Nerd?" she teased him.

"Yes, never underestimate your opponent." She had straddled him to high up, which gave him free movement of his legs which he threw around her waist to pull her off him. The slam of her on the ground in combination with his legs slamming down on her stomach got all the air out of her body. He reversed the positions, making sure that this time her legs were properly straddled. He leaned forward so he was only a couple of centimeters from her face. "Did you break a nail, princess?" For a moment she just glared at him, than an idea came to her. She shifted her hands so he moved forward with his face and then kissed him. His surprise made him slacken his hold on her, which gave her the moment she needed to throw him off. The bystanders looked particularly shocked by her method, but Birkhoff was on his feet a lot faster. "That was a terrible move; do you use that on all your attackers?" She knew he was goading her, but it sure as hell was working. She went in for a straight forward attack which he anticipated. Once again she found herself with her back against his chest only this time her face was on the ground. He grabbed her arms and put them behind her back, any wrong move would make the pop out of their sockets. Normally in a real fight Alex would have done it, as she would be in mortal danger. Now however she was forced to give up.

Birkhoff stood up and held out a hand to her to pull her up as well. They got an applause from the audience. Alex was out of breath and so was Birkhoff, but the workout sure felt good. She hadn't trained in a while, which made this the excellent opportunity to do so. Her muscles burned in a good way. Their residence genius sure as hell was good.

"Well Alex I have to say, you use some…original techniques." Michael told her, she wasn't sure whether it was a compliment or not, but he did seem very amused.

"You did good Nerd!" Nikita hugged the man standing next to Alex.

"Pay up you two!" Michael crowed as he held out his hand. Birkhoff turned towards the pair. "You betted against me!" He exclaimed.

"Well I can hardly bet against my own student. She did nearly beat you arse there Nerd, so don't be that offended."

"Please, she did not nearly beat me. No offence Alex but you will never be able to beat me. Let's face it; I am the master."

The girl in question threw the computer-geek a glare. "I can beat you, besides you got distracted by a mere kiss, and there is a lot more where that came from." It probably wasn't the best thing to say, but Alex was pissed off.

"Oh really, Sunshine? What were you planning to do? A striptease to win?" They were face to face now, forgetting all about the other people in the room.

"If that's what it takes me to win, you've already seen me naked so it doesn't make much of a difference now does it." Michael choked on whatever he wanted to say.

"He saw you naked!"

"Please darling, you have nothing I haven't seen before." That was it, grabbing him by the edge of his shirt she kissed him hard. He struggled for a second only to give in after that. She pressed her knee between his legs which he on instinct spread a little further. She pulled back and quickly slammed her knee between his legs. Groaning he fell forward. "Not easily distracted, my ass." Alex muttered as she sashayed off to the changing room. Leaving Birkhoff to the help of the laughing other agents.

"Dude that was not cool." The genius moaned as he placed an ice-pack on his very sore private parts.

"Well at least you got a kiss from a pretty girl." Michael teased him. It was just hilarious and even though Nikita had told him not to tease the other man for it Michael couldn't help himself. She couldn't really tell him he was in the wrong as she had been laughing herself.

"Oh don't act like that. If Nikita had kissed you during a fight the exact same thing would have happened." The other man bit back.

"Are you saying you and Alex are like me and Nikita, because you will have a lot more to explain then."

"No….dude that is gross. I just mean when a hot woman kisses you; you would respond."

"Are you saying it would be gross to date me nerd?" Alex commented from the doorway.

"Well if you keep kicking me in the balls it would not be a very romantic relationship."

"Oh you big baby, want me to kiss it better." Michael choked for the second time that day, only this time on his tea. Birkhoff grinned, it was at least a little repayment for the jokes.

"Sweetheart can you grab me another energy drink as you have so nicely made me a cripple." He called to Alex who was getting some cookies from the cabinet next to the fridge. She had to stand on her toes, her shirt riding up a few inches exposing a tanned sliver of skin. He gulped.

That night sleep did not come easy to Birkhoff. It might just have been a way to distract him for Alex, but for Birkhoff it was an entirely new experience. One he couldn't quite let go off. Birkhoff was a true genius, he had an extremely high IQ and an eidetic memory. Which meant he never forgot anything. So when you combine that with a hot girl kissing him it made for some very haunting memories. In all of his life Birkhoff had been kissed by five girls. There was Clarisse in kindergarten, the time he still thought girls were icky. The teacher had not known what to do about the crying boy and girl. Clarisse was crying because he had pushed her away and Seymour had been crying because he would be contaminated forever.

Then there had been Tara. Now that was one insane female. He had met her at university, he was fifteen and she was eighteen. Smoked pot most of the day and had no qualms about sleeping with a minor. Birkhoff being the curious kid he was combined with finally some affection from someone had no qualms about sleeping with someone who was that much older. It was a rather embarrassing memory for him, and painful as well. It had taken him years to feel a bit more comfortable around females.

The third was Eliza, a beautiful technician. He had met her online and gone on a couple of dates. It never really went further than some kissing, which he regretted till this day. The only reason he regretted it was because she was hot: she was as dull as a doornail.

The fourth was someone he still missed dearly. She had been one of the few friends he had ever made. She got cancer. He never felt anything towards her on a romantic basis, but her last wish was a kiss from him. Apparently she had wanted something more but knew she could never have it. While he never loved her, she was still a beloved friend and felt nothing wrong in giving into her last wish.

And then there was Alex. Beautiful, witty Alex: the girl could assemble a gun blindfolded in under a minute, hack most computer systems and was decent cook to the boot. How he hated her. Well not really, he rather liked her. She kept up with his jokes, was interested in what he actually did with the computers. He wanted her; and that was a very bad thing.

**AN the inspiration I used for the fight was the video mikita-run this town on youtube. Seriously that song is just made for fight scenes. **


	3. The normal life

**AN: YAY chapter three at your service. Thank you all for the lovely reviews guys!**

There was another mission, and Alex was not going to like it. Birkhoff had gathered the Intel on the target a few hours earlier and together with Nikita and Michael figured out a plan. Unfortunately they had to ask Alex for a favor she had every right to turn down. She wouldn't of course; as it would jeopardize the ultimate goal of destroying division. Yet no one was certain in what capacity they would get Alex back.

"Okay, listen up." Michael called as Birkhoff showed the picture on a bigger screen, visible for everyone in the room. "This is our next target. His name is Trevor Daniels, sixteen and currently graduating from Thomas Jefferson high school for science and technology."

"What do we want with him?" Alex questioned as she stared at the picture of the cocky boy.

"We don't want him. Division does. This boy has an IQ to rival Birkhoff and knowledge of the newest systems on the planet. Now Birkhoff isn't working with Division anymore, they need a replacement. This boy is the only one that comes even close to resembling Birkhoff." Nikita answered her question.

"Now wait a minute! He might have an IQ that comes close to mine and knows some fancy tricks on the computer, but I never mutilated animals or got people in the hospital." The resident genius huffed.

"What are you talking about?" The young spy asked.

"This guy has a record; Division wouldn't get him unless they were desperate. He has been known for some small arson problems, he once broke all the legs of his neighbors their cat and then set it on fire. While it was still alive! He also has beaten a little boy to an inch of his life because he had accidently kicked his soccer ball against his head." There was a thick silence in the room. "He has been tested and found to be having some psychopathic tendencies."

"So what is exactly the plan?" Ryan asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.

"There will be a masked ball at a hotel not far from the school. All students are invited. Alex will infiltrate there as a student and find Trevor. Charm him if necessary, but make sure he leaves the party unnoticed. We do not need any witnesses. Division will not be moving in until after his graduation. This is the last chance we will have."

"What am I supposed to do with him? Bring him here?" The silence that followed was clear enough for Alex. "You want me to kill a sixteen year old boy!" She exclaimed.

"It's the only way. We can't trust him to help us once he understands that Division will give him a better pay. If we keep him alive he will be snatched up by Division. He is a genius so he would probably find a way to escape our clutches if we put him in a safe house." Nikita placated the younger girl.

"He is just so young, he has a family." She whispered.

"We know, but we can't let him go free. We currently have the upper-hand with Birkhoff on our side. If Percy gets his hands on Trevor we might lose that advantage." The older woman was having a hard time with it. She understood Alex her reluctance, and it could damage the younger girl much more than they were able to predict.

"Fine I'll do it, if only to take revenge for the cat." She muttered. Birkhoff had to keep himself from laughing. Trust Alex to make the tortured cat the reason for tipping the scale.

"Here is your microphone and ear piece. I will be there with you. Now this little guy you need to keep clear off. This syringe contains a high dose of nearly untraceable venom. One shot of this and the coroner will think he suffered a heart attack. Make sure to stick it in a spot where it won't be easily noticed as the point where the needle goes in will get a little inflamed." Birkhoff explained as he handed her all the equipment. She was dressed in a dark red dress that had been cut open at one side to almost her thigh so she could move easily. It had a corset like top, making it easy to hide the needle between her breasts. Her dress was red with a black trimming. Her mask had the same red color as a base, but was trimmed with gold glittery lines. Her hair was swept away from her face in an intricate bun with a few curls escaping.

"Wish me luck." She said as she waved Ryan and Birkhoff goodbye. Michael would driver her there and stay outside in case she needed back up. Nikita would be one of the waiters.

The party had already started when she arrived. They wanted her to enter when the party was already in full swing so she wouldn't be noticed too much. Alex scanned the crowd for a figure that resembled Trevor. "Birkhoff, how am I supposed to know which of these guys is Trevor. They all look the same with these masks on." She whispered, grabbing a drink from one of the trays.

"Give me a moment Sweetheart, most people use rented costumes for these types of things. There must be a paper trail to see which one he has rented." The sound of tapping filled her earpiece. The room was warm and stifling. 'I might as well go to the bathroom.' Alex thought as she didn't get a reply from Birkhoff. It was impossible to find the guy in this crowd without a detailed description.

There were four other girls in the bathroom, dressed as elegantly as Alex was. She listened to their inane chatter as she entered one of the cubicles in the pretense of having to use the toilet.

"You know, I just can't wait for prom to come around."

"I know Charlaine, this party is awesome, but then we will be finally finished!" another girl replied.

"That wasn't what she was talking about, were you Charlaine?" Another girl teased. "She and Tommy are planning to take the next step…if you know what I mean."

"Shut up Sasha!" the girl named Charlaine replied, but it was clear she meant no harm as she laughed along with the rest of the girls. The slamming of the door and the sudden silence told Alex she was finally alone. She had taken the needle out of her top, as she wouldn't have time to do so once she got their target separated from the rest without being suspicious. Splashing some water on her neck and checking if her make-up was still in order she left the bathroom.

"Wow, do girls really have conversations like that in the bathroom?" Birkhoff his voice came through the earpiece. "Yes they really do Birkhoff; do you have something for me about how our Target is dressed?" Alex replied drily, typical for the nerd to focus on something inane as girls chattering.

"Yes, apparently our guy has rented a Victorian suit, and I mean a true Victorian suit: The cravat and all. His mask is a deep red apparently. He should be about your height if that helps." With that their conversation was once again on the mission. It took Alex about ten minutes before she spotted him at the bar. He was a rather handsome boy from what she could see. Slim, but there were clearly some muscles underneath his clothing. She had already known how his face looked but the startling blue eyes and yet black hair was still a rather nice sight. If only he wasn't a psychopathic jerk.

"Can I have a white wine please?" She called to the bartender as she slit onto the stool next to the boy. He turned to look at her, and while he was a rather handsome boy that leering look didn't work on anyone their face.

"I don't think I have seen you here before?" He said. 'What a cliché.' Alex thought, before she realized he was right.

"No I'm sure you haven't. I am new here. My father recently got transferred here. I'm Alexandra." She introduced herself, letting her Russian accent sound clearly.

"I'm Trevor. Where are you from? Russia?" She gave him a slight nod while she shook his hand.

"I'm afraid I do not know a lot about Russia, all I know is that you guys sure like your vodka." He made it sound like a joke. Alex laughed maybe a little louder than necessary. She leaned forward on her chair so her lips were right next to his ear. "It's not the only thing we like." She whispered seductively as she nibbled at his earlobe. She grabbed her white wine and threw him a flirtatious wink. "He will surely follow you now." Birkhoff muttered in her ear. Just like they both had expected Trevor followed her out of the hall to a men's toilet down the corridor. The point was for the boy to be in a logical place when he died. No one expected the boy to drop dead of a heart attack in a broom closet, and the hallways were too visible. She leaned back against the far wall; one of her hands was covered by the fabric of her dress to make sure he didn't see the syringe. He placed both his hands on both sides of her face, leaning forward for a move. Alex struck as fast as a viper. She plunged the needle at the back of his head at the spot where his hair ended and his skin began. The slightly shaggy hair would cover up the reddened puncture mark and because of the natural causes of death they wouldn't do a full autopsy. The boy thrashed for a second as he felt the needle go in, only to slump against her. Trevor Daniels was officially death. Alex slammed his head against the counter as if he had fallen forward when his heart stopped and then left the bathroom. Instead of leaving through the front door she took an entrance meant for the staff where she met up with Nikita. "Target down." Were her last words to be said that evening.

Alex didn't come down for breakfast the next morning which made the already guilty tension even worse. Nikita hadn't been able to let Alex die because the girl had been a child then, Trevor had only been two years older than Alex back then. He was jerk, but still a child in many ways. The only reason he was death was because he was born with a high IQ. They may have been all involved, but Alex was the one to pull the trigger figuratively speaking. Birkhoff grabbed a plate of scrambled eggs and some toast to take up to Alex her room. The girl had to eat at least something.

He found her sitting on the windowsill in her room looking at the ocean. "knock, knock, room-service." Birkhoff joked as he walked into the bedroom. Even without the make-up and fancy clothing Alex looked beautiful, but the red rimmed eyes rather ruined the picture for him. "If you are feeling guilty about Trevor: don't . He tortured a cat remember." She took the offered plate of food, but only toyed a bit with the toast.

"It's not Trevor. While I am not happy with what I did, it was necessary." She muttered.

"If it is not him, then what is it?" He didn't dare sit next to her as an emotional Alex could easily become a violent Alex.

"You remember those girls, talking in the bathroom?"

"Yeah they were talking about prom and…such." It was a rather awkward thing for Birkhoff to talk about, mostly because he had absolutely no idea where she was going with it.

"It just made me realize how much I missed. I never went to high school or had a prom. My first time was on a filthy mattress in the back of a van. I just hate the fact that I lost so much of a normal youth."

He finally understood what she meant. "You never were meant for a normal youth anyway. You are the daughter of Nikolai Udinov, you were always meant for bigger things than who to take to the prom." He realized she wasn't going to become violent any time soon and he would be safe if he sat down next to her. "Would you really have liked it, the normal life?"

"I don't know. Perhaps I would be bored, but I just hate the fact that I never had a chance at it." She finally took a few bites.

"Well I did, Division didn't get their claws on me till I was halfway through university. I can tell you it is not much better. So don't worry too much about 'What ifs'. At least you have a couple of friends who are in the same position as you." He gave her a small nod and then left the room, leaving her to her own thoughts.

She found him later on the day, when he was getting changed in something more comfortable in his own room. He wasn't really planning to go to sleep yet, even though the other agents had already retired to bed. He drank too much energy drink to go to bed early. He was planning to work on a couple of things before he went to bed as well.

"What can I help you with Sunshine?" He asked as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"You were right earlier. I wouldn't have you guys if my life had been normal. You are the best friends I could ask for. So are you feeling up for a movie and ice cream?" she asked getting a DVD and a tub of Ben and Jerrys cookie dough from behind her back.

"That depends on the DVD. No chickflicks in this room." She smiled holding up the DVD for him to see. "Shaun of the death. You have passed my test." He pulled it out of her hands and put the disk into the box beneath the flat screen that was hanging in front of his bed. Alex fluffed up some pillows on the bed and made herself comfortable underneath the blankets, opening the tub of ice cream.

"Scoot over Sweetheart." Birkhoff muttered as he joined her on the bed, grabbing the second spoon. If they sat a little closer than necessary that night, no one mentioned it.

**AN: hope you guys all liked it! Please read and review :D.**


	4. Turning back

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to **_**Wootar16**_** and **_**Forbiddenlove09**_** as you guys have been amazing reviewers :D.**

She hadn't meant to fall asleep during the movie. Normally she stayed awake through any movie just to see the end of it, but not doing much that day had made her lazy and Birkhoff his bed was rather comfortable. She actually hadn't been aware of falling asleep till she actually woke up next to him in the morning. She had almost screamed bloody murder until she realized who it was exactly that was holding her. The tub of Ben and Jerrys had disappeared though and the television was turned off. Alex was no genius but even she could figure out that after she had fallen asleep Birkhoff had cleaned up the ice cream and turned off the TV. She wasn't sure whether to be glad he had let her sleep, or affronted he clearly missed the gentleman lesson about not sleeping in the same bed with someone who wasn't your partner. It didn't come to her immediately; but she suddenly realized she still had to move. One of his arms was draped across her waist and the other one was stretched out underneath her neck. She was actually rather comfortable, even with his warm breath tickling the shell of her ear. Maybe if she just pretended to be asleep when he woke up they could avoid a rather awkward moment. Resolved to follow that plan she decided to enjoy the minutes she had till he woke up. She couldn't really remember ever being held this close, even with those few moments with Nathan he had slept on the other side of the bed.

She closed her eyes when she realized Birkhoff his breathing was less even and he had started to stir. For a moment she felt him still, as if he only just realized who was in his bed and how. She was surprised when she felt him brush away a couple of strands of hair from her face and press a soft kiss to her temple. She almost reacted, but that would ruin her entire plan of not getting into an awkward situation. He moved away after that. She waited until the door of the shower closed behind him before opening her eyes. That had been strange. While she and Birkhoff were friends, she had to confess that she didn't know him as well as Nikita or Michael. Yet what happened just seconds earlier didn't seem to be meant as just a friendly gesture. Deciding to avoid any more confrontation with the confusing man she grabbed her stuff and fled the room.

There was only one person who could shed some light on the situation, but she wasn't sure whether she wanted her to know. Nikita was like a big sister to her, maybe even a mother figure, but this seemed so personal somehow. Alex kept pacing her own bedroom, not sure what to do. There would probably be a print left on the carpet of where she had placed her feet. Getting fed up with herself she changed into her training gear and left in search of the gym.

Nikita found the younger girl there, punching away at one of the many bags hanging from the ceiling. She worried about her, she seemed so lonely. She was partly to blame for that, getting caught up in her relationship with Michael. It seemed so difficult to balance everything out, and being in one house with five other people made for some insane tension once in a while. Yet Alex seemed to stay away from them all. Birkhoff was close with both Michael and her and had a tentative friendship with the younger girl. Ryan was the new guy, but even he was slowly warming up to everyone. Even Michael once they got over their jealousy.

"Who pissed you off this morning?" she asked as the girl kept up her rather vicious punches.

"No one." She muttered.

"Can we talk?" The older woman asked.

"What about?" Alex asked not once stopping.

"Whatever it is that is bothering you?" Grabbing one of the chairs Nikita sat down, showing Alex she wasn't going anywhere.

"What makes you think something is bothering me?" She threw an extra hard punch to punctuate her words.

"You have been closed off, not really trying to connect with anyone anymore. I know something is wrong Alex."

"Why is that wrong, it was you who warned me about relationships and were quite specific about why I shouldn't get to attached." She muttered.

"Maybe, but if there is anything I have learned from having Michael by my side it's that it gives me the drive to continue when things get hard." Nikita knew that she was pressing where it hurt for Alex, but the girl should not keep all her emotions inside. It wasn't healthy, but it also could be dangerous when the dam finally broke. "Are you worried you will hurt the people you get close to?"

"Well that is what usually happens; my parents are dead, Thom is dead, Nathan hates me…if he isn't dead already." She sounded so defeated.

"Not everyone will end up hurt Alex, you can't stay away from everyone…it will take away your humanity." She walked up to the younger woman stilling her arms. She was trembling with the strength it took not to cry, refusing to look Nikita in the eye.

"I just don't know what to do anymore." She whispered, finally collapsing in the older female her arms.

"You love." Nikita kept repeating as she stroked Alex her hair.

After a couple of minutes the girl finally calmed down enough to talk again. "Feeling better?" Nikita asked, handing her a tissue.

"Yes, thank you. Can I ask you something, and swear you don't tell Michael or anyone else?"

"I promise." The other agent said; her curiosity spiked.

"Yesterday, Birkhoff and I watched a movie together." Alex ignored the raised eyebrow. "And I accidently fell asleep in his room…and this morning I woke up in his arms." She blushed at that part but held up her finger to shush Nikita who already wanted to say something. "I wanted to avoid a confrontation with him so I pretended to be asleep when he awoke…he didn't immediately move away as I expected him to do…he actually was very sweet he brushed some hair out of my face and then…well he kissed me here." She pointed to her temple where she somehow still felt the lingering pressure of his lips when she thought about it.

"Oh my." Nikita breathed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I mean should I say something to him…what if it was just a friendly gesture…"

"Sweetheart, I think that was not a friendly gesture. I can't even remember Birkhoff ever being gentle or sweet."

"So what am I supposed to do about it!" Alex exclaimed, not being helped by Nikita her answer in any way.

"I think you should figure out what you feel for Birkhoff before you do anything." Nikita answered her.

"What? What are you talking about?" Alex was really confused.

"I think Birkhoff has a crush on you…and if you confront him about this and crush his feelings. If you don't feel the same then just ignore it and send him some hints you are not interested. Let him down easy."

"Birkhoff, a crush? On me? Are you sure you didn't inhale something." The idea was preposterous.

"Please Alex, you are hot and smart. Birkhoff would be an idiot not to notice how great you are." Nikita exclaimed, feeling slightly insulted by the comment. "I'm not wrong, you should really see how you feel about Birkhoff…if those kisses during the fight were anything to go by; I can at least say there is sexual tension enough." She patted the younger woman her knee and then got up to leave the gym.

What did Alex think about Birkhoff. He was smart, but that was rather obvious. He was witty and saw the humor in almost everything. He knew how to cheer her up if the last few days were anything to go by. He had made her a beautiful bracelet just because it was her birthday. Alex never really had a type when it came to how guys looked. Sean didn't really cut it, Nathan was cute but not really that interesting, Michael was like an older brother and very much off limits and Ryan was cute but too boys scout. Birkhoff wasn't as tall as the guys she usually liked, not as sophisticated. He was scruffy and the same height as her. Well build though if the fight was anything to go by. She tried to picture him naked, and to her embarrassment it wasn't even that hard for her to imagine them….like that. Okay she liked him, but she didn't have to do anything with it right? Yet now she had thought about it she didn't think the idea would leave her alone unless she did something about it. Would it be so bad?

Things would definitely get strange between them should it go wrong. They were living in the same house and worked together. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject to him. What if it went right and she lost him in the battle against division? Nikita her words came back to her _'I have learned from having Michael by my side it's that it gives me the drive to continue when things get hard'_. She could risk everything and gain so much, or always be haunted with the idea of what if. If there was one thing Alex hated it was the 'what if?' question.

She found Birkhoff just like the previous night in his room getting changed. Well she had actually made sure she would meet him there so she was guaranteed to have him alone. This wasn't a conversation to be had in front of Michael and Nikita.

"Hey Birkhoff…" She called, making sure he knew she was in the room instead of being suddenly surprised when he turned around.

"What?" he turned around to look at her and all of a sudden Alex wasn't sure what she wanted to say anymore. Could she do it? Had she interpreted his moves the wrong way? She moved her weight from one foot to another as she tried to find something to say. Anything to make it less awkward.

"Is something wrong Alex?" he questioned giving her a once over to make sure there was no visible damage done to her. That obvious concern for her made her sure of what she was about to do. In about three steps she was pressed against him and it took her only a millisecond to press her lips against his. Actions speak louder than words right? He stiffened for a moment and then moved his lips against hers, tangling his hands in her curls. She tugged at his shirt, willing there to be more skin to skin contact and he happily obliged. The buttons on her blouse were skillfully removed by his nimble fingers and he groaned when his skin came into contact with hers.

"Alex what are we doing?" He whispered while he kissed her neck. She let out a soft laugh.

"I think that would be quite obvious." She said, pulling him up for another kiss.

"We can't go back after this…" the words came out strained as he was trying to prevent himself from going to far while they still could walk away from it all.

"Who said I wanted to?" with those words he gave up to argue with her, not breaking the kiss he walked over to the bedroom door which he closed and locked. He was not planning to let her out of his room ever again if he could help it.

**AN: Hope you guys like it :D I am always happy to hear what you think!**


	5. the prom queen and the nerd

**AN Don't worry people it didn't end with the earlier chapter if that is what you are worried about ;). Chapter five at your service! Please Read and Review!**

The sheen of sweat on her skin was slowly drying up and she should get up to take a shower, but she was just so comfortable. Birkhoff was trailing patterns with his fingers over her skin, from her hip to shoulder and back again. She knew they should talk about what happened, but right now she just wanted to stay like this. Uncomplicated. Loved. She turned around so she could look at the other person in the bed.

"Morning sunshine." He muttered, twirling one of the strands of her hair around his finger.

"I am starting to believe you have an obsession with my hair." She grinned.

"No Beautiful, I have an obsession with you…the hair is just a nice bonus." He took two other strands and started braiding them together right in front of her face.

"If I didn't know better I would think your dreamjob is to become a hairdresser." She joked slapping his hand away and pulling the hair back so she could see him properly.

"Please, those guys are nine out of ten times gay...and I hope I've proven to you I'm most certainly not gay." She raised an eyebrow in question; the fingers that had been busy trailing along her stomach all of a sudden tightened and started to tickle her. "Say it wench!" it took her a while to be able to form words between her laughter.

"You are not gay!" she yelled out breathlessly. There was a knocking on the door followed by Michael his voice. "Birkhoff, is that Alex I just heard in there?"

"No Michael I'm just busy shagging Nikita." He yelled back, earning him a punch from Alex.

"Don't worry Michael, everything is fine." She yelled and the only thing they got for a couple of seconds was silence. "I am just going to pretend I never heard this." The older man finally muttered. Once the footsteps had disappeared down the hall they burst out in laughter.

"You know, as much as I like this random sex thing…we do need to talk Sunshine."

"I know, but I just like to forget the outside world for the moment." She mumbled burrowing her head in his shoulder.

"Unfortunately, the world has the habit of remembering us. So could you please tell me why exactly you shamelessly took advantage of me last night?"

"Do you like me Birkhoff?" She asked. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. It was a rather delicate question and the wrong answer could tip the balance either in his favor or against it.

"Yes Alex, I like you. So do a lot of people…"

"Do we have to resort to playground talk: Do you like _like_ me Seymour?" she sighed.

"If last night was any indication then yes; I like _like_ you Alex." He kissed the top of her nose.

"Good, because I was hoping to give whatever it is between us a try…" She tangled her fingers through the hairs at the back of his head. He suddenly pulled away.

"You mean a relationship?" He exclaimed.

"Well yes, what did you think I meant?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm not sure Alex, I like like you….and while I definitely want you…I'm not sure whether a relationship is a good idea."

"Did you think last night I was just going for a one night stand when I threw myself at you!" she was grabbing all her clothes pulling them on as fast as she could.

"Well if I remember correctly there was hardly any talking involved and you even gave me less time to think!" He yelled back grabbing his own clothes.

"Oh so you want to tell me that a genius like you can only think with his dick when a pretty girl comes along!" the young woman was furious now.

"I'm a guy what did you expect honey!" she didn't even give him a reply but just slammed the door shut behind her as she left the room. She ran straight by the three people in the kitchen who were looking at her concerned. She refused to let them see her cry and headed straight for the gym. She had some faces to smash in. The sound of quick soft steps alerted her that Nikita had followed her.

"Go away!" She growled as she furiously started to punch one of the bags.

"Alex…."

"I said go away!" she was crying now. She felt like such an idiot. Less than thirty minutes ago she had felt like nothing could harm her and now she was bawling her eyes out like a little girl. Soft arms pulled her away from the bag and into the warm arms of Nikita. The second time in two days the older woman had to comfort her, she might make it a habit.

"How could he do this to me?" She sobbed, clutching the other woman her arm like it was a life saver.

"Birkhoff has been on his own for a long time sweetheart. I'm not sure whether he really doesn't want something more from you, if his actions are anything to go by I think his heart is just at war with his head." She soothed the sobbing girl.

"The world really hates me. Why else would it make me like a guy with commitment issues on top of everything else." Alex replied bitterly. Nikita didn't say anything but just continued to sooth the girl.

"You son of a bitch!" Michael exclaimed as Birkhoff came into the kitchen. "How could you do that to Alex?" Ryan put his hand on the other mans arm to try and caution him against hitting the resident genius, as much as he deserved it.

"Michael my problems with Alex are not your business and I was only honest with her." The other man defended himself.

"Like hell they are my business. She is like a little sister to me, and no one hurts my family! You weren't truly honest with her otherwise you would have stopped yourself before things got this far!" Ryan retracted his hand; he'd rather not end up in the middle of a fist fight between the two other males. He hadn't been long enough in the house to give his opinion on the personal relationships between everyone.

"Stopped her? Michael she threw herself at me, was I supposed to push her away? Do you think that would have made her feel any better? I was honest when I said that I am not sure about a relationship between the two of us. Come on Michael, do you really think me and Alex would work?" the other man was gesturing wildly trying to get his point across.

"I would like to know why you think it couldn't work Nerd, because I just left Alex to get herself cleaned after crying her eyes out." Nikita commented as she crossed the room to calm down her enraged partner.

"Come on Nikita; have you properly looked at her! A little out of my league don't you think? To add to that is the fact that I rather not get emotionally involved with someone who goes on highly dangerous missions every single week." He crossed his arms defensively.

"She threw herself at you Birkhoff, I think that makes your whole hypothesis of 'she feels she's too good for me' rather void. As for the missions thing; whether you are involved with her or not you will still worry and it will still hurt like hell if she gets hurt or worse killed. The only question you need to ask is whether you are willing to be haunted with the question of what you missed out on because of that fear. You will not get a second chance with her if you wait too long." The words seemed to make the needed impact as he refused to look either of them in the eye. Refusing to deal with the oppressive silence anymore Birkhoff left the room.

He found Alex on one of the logs that was lying on the beach. "Can we talk?" he asked, sitting down next to her. She didn't give any indication of hearing him, but she didn't leave either which he took as a good sign.

"I didn't mean to insult you earlier…" She snorted very unladylike. "I'm serious, I was just surprised and then you started yelling…and you know how I like to have the last word." His small attempt at humor was clearly not appreciated.

"If you were surprised then you could have just told me you needed to think instead of shooting it down immediately." She bit at him.

"In case you didn't notice I easily get defensive. I'm just not used to someone like you wanting someone like me, okay? I was just waiting for the catch. I've been the butt of the joke for too many times to not expect it." He hoped that was all the explanation needed, as he would hate to go into detail about that. Those memories were ones he'd rather keep locked away.

"What do you mean someone like me? You should be able to trust me Birkhoff, I would never pull a joke like that on you." He should have trusted her, but after years of not trusting anyone in this capacity it just came easier to bite back.

"I mean someone as hot as you okay. Call me shallow but we both know you would have been prom queen had you gone to high school with me and I would have been the date-less geek, if I even had shown up. And Prom queens don't date geeks." She looked at him for a while, not saying anything. He almost wanted to start fidgeting.

"I forgive you if you promise me one thing."

"If you want me to make you matching earrings, forget it. I still have to save some for your next birthday." He joked, glad to know she had at least forgiven him for his behavior earlier that day.

"No, I want you to trust me from now on. I may look like a prom queen but I am just a regular nerd underneath it all." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He smiled, and for a moment they just sat there in companionable silence.

"You still want to "try this thing between us"?" He asked.

"Are you not going to yell at me this time if I said yes?" She joked.

"I will not yell, but I can't promise I won't kiss you Sunshine." He murmured leaning in.

"Then yes Seymour, I really want to try this thing."

"I'm not sure whether I want to tell him to keep his hands of her or to congratulate them." Michael commented as he and Nikita watched the scene unfold from behind the tinted glass.

"Congratulations would probably be received better honey. Look at you being all protective; if you ever have a daughter she will probably have to warn all her future boyfriends about the gun you carry." She said as she leaned up to kiss him.

"She certainly will if she inherits the good looks from her mother. A stick will not be enough to keep the boys away then." He shut up after that because he was too preoccupied with said mothers lips.

**AN hope you guys liked it. Please Read and Review :D.**


	6. Truly fine

**AN: A major thanks to all you wonderful reviewers! To Shadowalex: I will try to add a bit more Mikita for you as I want to show a bit more of the other people in the house and how they see the relationship evolving in front of them and how their own relationships change. I just got notified by good ole fashion cola that chapter four was the same as chapter three…I am not sure whether it was just a system glitch or not but I changed it to the right chapter. This one is dedicated to Cola for notifying me and some awesome reviews! I want your opinion I want to give Ryan a relationship as well…and the crazy thought of him and Sean popped up….I know it is crazy (as said before) but if you guys like it I will put it in the story.**

Ryan had been at the house for a little over two months now and was starting to feel a little homesick. Don't get him wrong; anything was better than Division or prison, but he would like to have his own place again. Not share anything and have complete silence knowing he was alone in the house. He knew that wouldn't be possible till the oganisation was taken down and he was lucky to live with these people. Said people were currently on the beach. It was a rather warm and sunny day and the guys had decided swimming was in order. Ryan was surprised even Birkhoff had joined in, he looked like he hardly ever went outside. The fact that Alex would be in a bikini probably helped.

They seemed to be having fun and he was planning to join them soon enough but right now he enjoyed the silence he had been craving for days. The other agents were great separately but together as a team they were unbeatable. Even their relationships seemed to be perfectly balanced. Alex her quick wit matched Birkhoff his own and where he was extremely cautious she evened that out with her impulsiveness. Nikita was always so serious which Michael often managed to lift and she was capable of staying level headed where he couldn't. it was almost sickening, so sweet. While he admitted to fancying Nikita for a while, any fool could see that those people had found the one thing the rest of the world so desperately sought: The one. Collecting a couple of files from the desk in his room he went downstairs. He just hoped that the next mission wouldn't tear the team apart.

"So what is the plan?" Nikita asked, flipping through the file of targets.

"This group is a bit similar to oversight. Corrupt business people, donating the money their companies earn to several small charities. Those charities are cover-ups for Division bank-accounts. In return, Division targets people that form a threat to the company their prosperity." Ryan explained as he placed all the faces and their names on the main screen. "They all know each other, they work together…have secret handshakes if you will. If the data me and Birkhoff have collected is correct; there will be a meeting in this building tomorrow." He said as another picture appeared.

"These people are smart. This is a house without any form of surveillance, there are no blue prints available either. You guys will be going in blind. I can give you visuals from the air, but my guess is that they will be having some form of jammer on site. I doubt Division hasn't already warned them about us." Birkhoff added to Ryan his explanation.

"That is one big risk to take going in blind without any form of contact if there is a jammer." Alex exclaimed.

"We have no idea when they will meet again and if we try to take them one by one we will end up with most likely only one or two death and the others still donating money only in hiding." Michael said, not feeling any happier about the plan. It was, unfortunately, the only one they had.

Alex was making sure she had all the proper stuff with her for the next day when Birkhoff found her. She was just assembling a rather large gun when he entered the room. He held up his hands in mock surrender as she swirled around with the almost finished gun in her hands.

"Can we talk?" he asked as she finished the gun.

"Sure."

"Listen tomorrow, please be safe. Don't take any unnecessary risks, it's dangerous enough as it is."

"I always try to be safe, that's nothing new. It's not like I want to be blown to pieces Seymour." She gave him her full attention after she finished putting everything in order.

"Yes, and we both know that you like to go ahead with things even if a plan gets jeopardized." She opened her mouth to object but he continued on talking. "Don't try to deny it Alex. All I am saying is stay safe and don't make me worry back here on whether you are going to make it out alive because you ran off to play the hero. Nikita and Michael are on scene and they are capable of rushing in. I, however, need to wait back here to command the computers and hope you guys make it home in one piece. I can tell you, it's not a great feeling." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Fine, I'll try to keep from rushing off when things threaten to go wrong. You better have one big bucket of ice cream ready when I get back tomorrow." She placed her head on his shoulder, just relaxing for a moment.

"I promise, Princess. Now are you coming back to my room voluntarily or do I have to force you?" While they were officially together now, they still spend some of the nights in their own rooms. They were trying to take it slow, but tonight with all the troubles of what lay ahead tomorrow they both didn't really think it was a good idea. Alex wanted to know that she spend as much time with the resident genius as she could before the team left tomorrow. She wasn't sure after all if she would come back home after the mission, or if she would be buried as a john doe.

Nikita was worried about the mission. It wasn't like she had never gone in blind before, but she was with a team now. Because they couldn't be sure where in the building the group would be gathered they would go for a rather explosive plan. They would place bombs at each side of the house, which if they were lucky would make the building collapse entirely. If by some accidents members managed to leave the building they would be blown up when they ignited the car. Either way they would die. She squeezed Michael his hand who was sitting in the driver seat. She was happy to have him at her side. He was a great agent, but having him by her side made her feel safe. She needed him in her life as her partner in all the ways imaginable. He understood her, knew where she came from and gave her the space she needed to breathe while still keeping a firm hold on her. She couldn't imagine a life without him.

For a moment she fantasized about her future with him. If they all survived, she was pretty sure not one of them ever moved far away. Their own place would be heaven, but ever being far away from the people she trusted scared her. She had lost so many already, she did not want to lose another person ever again. She imagined her children, beautiful, too smart for their own good; with all their aunts and uncles spoiling them rotten. She gave a quiet snort. If she already thought her children would be too smart she should probably never talk to a child from Birkhoff. That thought made her look at the younger girl in the back of the car. Would she and Birkhoff make it through all of it? Alex was strong and so was Birkhoff, but this stuff really took their toll on people. At least she had Michael at her side through everything. Birkhoff had to watch Alex walk out of that door and live with the guilt he had let her go if something happened to her. As misplaced that guilt was, Nikita was sure Seymour would feel it. She had felt it when she nearly lost Michael during a mission because she left him on his own. She just had to make sure Birkhoff got his girlfriend back in one piece.

Placing the bombs would be trickier than expected. Birkhoff had been right; there had been a jammer, or some sort of loop. What according to the satellites was a nearly deserted area was full of guards. It wouldn't make it impossible; but it asked for incredible timing and speed. They decided to move each to a different side of the building as that would limit the risks of all being caught and also limit the chance of being spotted. Alex took the back of the building. According to Birkhoff there was a small shed which she should be able to get the bomb in easily. As long as the guards didn't catch her that is. For a moment she expected some sarcastic comment in her ear piece until she remembered that Birkhoff was cut off by the jammer and therefore had no idea what was going on or able to contact her. She suddenly felt very alone without his presence. Focusing again on the task at hand she noticed one of the guards close by. Picking up a rock she threw it as hard as she could against a bush on the opposite side of the building. It was flocked with birds and at the slam of the stone against the bush they all rose up in the air, rushing off to find another tree. It was the same thing they would have done had she had walked near that bush and disrupted it. The guard followed her line of thought and went to have a look, leaving her to place the bomb in the shed. She made sure the bomb was in check before waiting till the man was being released of his duty and thus being distracted. Everything went well and she met Michael at the edge of the forest that surrounded them that had a clear view of all the cars parked. Nikita met up with them a second later out of breath. A tear in her shirt made Michael shoot her a questioning look as he checked her for serious injuries.

"I had to disable one of the guards. He spotted me on my way back. It was choosing between them finding out in a couple of minutes that he is no longer responding or them finding out right now that we are here." She was leaning forward trying to catch her breath.

"Then we have to hurry, they may already have been notified. Here are the other bombs. Just stick them underneath the car, the moment it heats up it will explode. Once you placed the bomb get back here." Six packages were divided between them and they rushed of trying to stay covered by the big hulks of black cars while placing the bombs. Alex had just placed her last bomb when one of the guards spotted her. Instead of running after her he just aimed his gun immediately. These guys either knew who she was or just never took survivors. Not wasting a second she rushed off, trying to break his aim by zigzagging between the cars and other things that could grant her some cover. The first few bullets didn't even come close, but then there was a second shooter with a far better aim. She cried out as a bullet made its way past her side, taking a piece of muscle with it. She struggled on, pressing a hand against her side to stop the bleeding. The shooting had fortunately alerted Nikita and Michael who took their own aim against the people chasing her. When she reached the edge of the forest Michael pressed the button exploding the building. They didn't wait to see if they had killed the targets as they had been spotted and therefore had half an army on their heels. They didn't let out the breath they were holding until they were safely on the road without anyone following.

Birkhoff was pacing the living room. Ryan had vacated it ten minutes ago when he nearly got his head bitten off for suggesting he might want to sit down. He almost knocked the agents off their feet when they came in. "What the hell happened!" He snapped as he immediately went to the hurt Alex.

"Hello to you too Birkhoff." Michael muttered as he made Alex sit on one of the barstools to inspect the wound. She pulled of the shirt she was wearing, grimacing at the pain in her side and the feeling of the fabric that had dried onto the wound was torn off again.

"Again, what the hell happened? I thought you would contact me when you got out of there?" As an answer Nikita threw a smashed cell phone on the counter.

"I got spotted and then shot. It's not as bad as it looks Seymour." Alex winched as Michael cleaned the wound.

"Not as bad as it looks? You got shot. I think that says it all, don't you?" He muttered as he watched from a distance as Michael patched up the wound.

"Don't worry Nerd, the bullet just grazed her. She might have some scarring and pain but there aren't any stitches needed." Michael commented. "Just put on some gauze and wrap it tightly. Don't strain yourself too much the upcoming days and you should be fine."

"Thanks Michael." Alex murmured as the adrenaline rush left her. She slowly made her way to her own room, followed on her heels by Birkhoff. He seemed unsure on whether to support her or stay near in case she collapsed. She applied the gauze in the bathroom grimacing at the ugly wound the bullet had created. No wonder Seymour had freaked out, it looked terrible despite it's harmless nature.

"Could you help me put the bandages on?" Alex asked as she realized she would not be able to get it around her torso without jerking the wound. He took the roll without any words and started to wrap them tightly around her torso as she rested her arms on his shoulders. "I asked you to stay safe." He murmured and she almost didn't catch it.

"This is an occupational hazard Seymour, you know I can't guarantee you that I will not get hurt. I didn't take any risks like you asked, but this was just bad luck." She pulled at his hair as he refused to look at her face. "I am fine Seymour. It looks serious, but you heard Michael. I will be perfectly fine. I am alive and maybe not well, but I will be. Now stop worrying or blaming yourself. There is ice cream with my name on it and I rather eat it together with a good movie and you in my bed." She joked, brushing a few of the longer bangs of hair out of his face. "I'm fine, really." He finally seemed to let it go and as he finished putting the bandages on. The muscles that had been coiled tight earlier had relaxed somewhat.

Alex crawled into her bed as Birkhoff went off in search for the ice cream and a good movie. As he sneaked into her bed she curled up against him, smiling as his hand automatically slid underneath her shirt to trail patterns on her belly. She truly was fine.

**AN Well hope you liked it and please let me know what you guys think about the Sean/Ryan idea…as crazy as it sounds you do have to admit that is hot on hot :P**


	7. For the first time

**AN: Do you guys know how many muscles there are in the human body? Because I feel like I pulled every single one of them moving to my new room yesterday. I feel pain in places I don't think I even used working on my room. Well here is chapter 7, I hope you guys like it and I am going to continue the Ryan/Sean idea, but I hope it will work out instead of putting you off…wrecking all your amazing comments about my writing skills ;), **

The news that Alex got shot apparently traveled around the world faster than any of the houses occupants could have imagined. Two days after she got shot Sean was at their door; which made Birkhoff decidedly unhappy as he watched her chatter away with the handsome guy. Michael was punched by Nikita as he opened his mouth to tease the genius. Everyone else in the house knew Alex would never leave Birkhoff for Sean, but jealousy always was a rather volatile and irrational thing. Ryan felt sorry for the other guy and decided to help him out a little. If Birkhoff intervened; he would sound like a jackass to Alex, but if he did it…

"You know I always wanted to be a Navy Seal, unfortunately I have got a big brain and weak ankles. I did get some information about you guys on my desk though, you people travel all over the world. You must have some pretty amazing stories to tell." It sounded like a rather weird opening line as he nudged Alex who was sitting next to him on the couch. She looked surprised at the dark haired man. He gave a slight tilt of his head towards Birkhoff who was pretending to be working on his computers, but the angry look gave him away. Nodding in understanding the young girl left to reassure her boyfriend that he really was the only guy for her. Apparently Sean got what he was doing as he shot him a grin when he realized where Alex was headed.

"He doesn't have to worry about me. I don't think Alex ever truly liked me that way, and while she is a sweet girl I will never try to steal her away from someone who obviously loves her."

"Yes, well try telling him that. All he can see is a handsome man talking to his girlfriend who clearly is happy he is here." Ryan joked as he took a sip of his drink.

"That is very true. So how did you end up here? Last time I heard you died in some prison." The navy seal winched at his own rather insensitive question. Ryan just laughed.

"With Division things are never the way they seem. To cut a rather boring story short I was saved by Nikita and then locked up here for "my own safety". I don't think it is working though as I am going rather insane being here all the time."

"I can understand that, I once had to spend three months on a submarine: I went absolutely insane. At least you can go outside and enjoy some fresh air." The other man raised his glass in agreement.

"Are you actually allowed to talk about these things? I don't think I have any clearance anymore." Ryan joked.

"With that computer guy over there; I don't think any mission is safe anymore if you want to read them. Besides whom are you going to tell?" Ryan leaned forward, it may have been his line to get pulled in the conversation, but he truly was interested in all the things those guys got up too.

"Look at that, Ryan is making friends." Michael muttered as he watched the two guys laugh and enjoy each other's company.

"Well can you blame him? He has been cooped up here for ages with only us as friends." Nikita commented as she grabbed something to drink from the fridge.

"Are you saying we are boring?"

"No, I'm just saying that I can understand that he wants someone else to talk to once in a while. Think about it; he is the only single guy around here." She gave him a quick kiss as if to prove her point.

"I doubt Sean can fix that." Michael grumbled.

"Who knows, he isn't that bad to look at." She laughed at his face "You can't honestly tell me you didn't know Ryan isn't exactly straight. What an agent you are."

"It wasn't about that wench, it's the fact that you think he is good to look at. Though I have to say that image is rather disturbing, and I thought Alex and Birkhoff was bad." He pulled her in his arms when she tried to pass him to grab another glass.

"Oh grow up, I think it would be great for them. Not to mention the fact that Birkhoff can finally stop being so jealous of Sean." She slapped his arm in a lame attempt to make him let her go.

"What would be great and make me stop being jealous." Said man questioned entering the kitchen with Alex, clearly back from a rather heated snogging session if his hair was anything to go by.

Michael threw Alex a pointed look "Didn't I tell you not to put strain on the wound." She gave him a rather crude gesture in reply.

"We were talking about Sean and Ryan starting a relationship." Nikita deciding to change the topic before a childish game of who was the wittiest started. The juice Birkhoff had just swallowed came back out again through his nose, partially ending up on Michael. "Thank man." He said sarcasticly as he took off his jacket.

"Sounds good to me." Alex commented.

"I'm sorry did I just miss something here. We are talking about a technical analyst from the FBI starting a relationship with a navy seal who has a senator for his mother. Not to mention the fact that they are both MALE." Birkhoff exclaimed.

"Are you saying you are homophobic?" Alex glared at him and even Michael raised his eyebrow.

"No, it's just that I don't see it happening. I mean Fletcher isn't entirely straight…but Pierce? I really can't see it, sorry." He shrugged and took the tissue Nikita offered him to wipe his nose.

"Oh please, Sean maybe liked me once, but that guy can't claim to be straight any more than Ryan can." Alex snorted. "A guy that good looking who takes that much care of his body cannot be straight."

"Please not every guy that takes care of himself is gay, you know. I take care of myself and I can assure you I am not gay." Michael exclaimed.

"No, I know that. I am not that obtuse, but the fact that he checked out your but when he met you says a lot, don't you think?" Michael sputtered some words but none made much sense, making Alex the victor in this match.

"Oh don't worry Michael. Take it as a compliment, I rather think your butt is great as well. One of your best assets." Nikita joked as she gave it a slap to underline her words.

"God's you two get a room!" Birkhoff cried with mock venom.

"Clearly you and Alex just came back from one." The other man bit back.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on the real problem here?" Alex intervened. She let out an exasperated sigh as three clueless faces stared back at her. "Getting those two together! Weren't you paying attention."

"Oh no, no way that I am mingling in their business. I do not want to be to blame if this goes wrong." The genius held up his hands in mock surrender.

"How do you even plan to get them together? We are not even sure those two are interested in each other." Michael said as he turned his head to look at the pair in question. Sean had moved from one of the chairs to the couch as he pointed a few things out on a map that was laying in front of them. They were sitting a lot closer than was necessary but neither seemed to mind. "Okay…how do you plan to get them together?"

"Simple, we just make sure they meet as often as they can. Spend a lot of time together and the rest is sure to follow. Worked for you guys." She seemed like a little kid on Christmas with the prospect of playing matchmaker.

"You know I love you right, but sometimes you really scare me." Birkhoff muttered as he watched his girlfriend bounce up and down. He almost felt sorry for the two unsuspecting targets.

"What did you just say?" She was looking at him wide eyed.

"That you sometimes frighten me…why?" He looked at her suspiciously.

"No, before that…" He thought for a second and then realized what he had said.

"What…nothing wrong with that is there?" he shuffled around a little underneath the gazes of the three other people in the room.

"Did I miss something, what is so important?" Michael softly questioned Nikita. She slapped him on the back of his head. "Nerd just told Alex that he loves her for the first time." The girl they were talking about stayed still for another second before launching herself at Birkhoff.

"I love you too." She whispered in his ear as she kissed the life out of him. He didn't mind though, if this was the way she always responded to those three little words. He didn't mind at all.

**AN I am not sure whether this story will have many chapters to follow as a new episode will soon be aired and I might want to write a story from that point onward, because to my everlasting horror they are going to make her start a relationship with Sean if all the hints are correct. But for now I am still happily writing for this story. It really is a fun couple to write about :D**


	8. Just a shag after all

**AN Well did anyone hate the episode Wrath as much as I did? As much as I have gotten used to the bone breaking thing, torture still is something I do not like to watch (would make me rather psychotic if I did). Thankfully it wasn't as bad as the torture Birkhoff got….seriously I really wished I had skipped those scenes…Enough with the rambling: on with the story!**

The dead of Sean his mother and the kidnapping of Nikita left the group struggling to compartmentalize everything. While Michael had gotten much closer to the other Agent, they all felt the loss of Sean his mother in some way. Alex felt the grief the strongest as she was very close to the suffering Navy Seal. The man in question however lashed out at almost anyone coming near him. He was at the anger stage of grieving. They had all hoped that with murdering the killer there would already be some closure and he would be able to move on to acceptance. He had somehow moved into the house, which was something Birkhoff was quite puzzled over, and confiscated one of the many guestrooms.

"I just don't know what to do." Alex mumbled as they got ready for bed.

"Perhaps you should let him stew for a while. If everyone keeps asking if he is fine; I can understand him lashing out." It pained him to see his girlfriend so distressed, but he understood Sean his side of the story.

"You should have seen him Seymour, he looked so small." If the moment was any less serious he might have snorted at the thought of the gigantic man looking small.

"He is allowed to hurt Alex, you can't change that." He pulled her close to him. He would never admit it to anyone, but that was the favorite part for him; just holding her.

"I just don't like feeling so helpless." Birkhoff could understand that; he had after all felt extremely powerless when Alex had gone into the blind mission. He didn't have an answer for her so he just turned off the light.

Ryan listened to the other man in the room next to him tossing and turning. It had been like that for almost a week and he was getting quite sick of it. He understood the other man was in pain, but he did not need to keep the entire house up with it. Enough was enough. He didn't get a response after the first knock and after the second he got a muffled sound that probably meant 'go away'. That wasn't what he wanted to do though. He wanted the other man to get up and back to life again. He was a Navy Seal for gods sake. Not caring whether he pissed the agent off, which he was sure he did, he opened the door and locked it behind him. He was not letting Sean walk away from this confrontation.

"I said go away." Sean growled from beneath the mountain of blankets covering him.

"Not until you have vented all that anger, because it sure isn't healthy being like this." It came out like he was bored, but to be honest Ryan was afraid. He wasn't the strongest between the two of them and Sean had a lot of pent up rage in him. He was an honorable man, but everyone had their limit.

"Oh really, you think I care one fuck about healthy. My mother died because someone wanted Nikita her attention. Don't talk to me about healthy." He was off the bed now. Even dressed in sleepwear the man looked deathly.

"So you are blaming Nikita for this? That isn't exactly fair."

"Why not, if that mad man didn't want her attention she would still be alive."

"Your mother knew what she was getting into when she started working with Division, which got her into this mess in the first place. You got a few more months with her thanks to Nikita." Ryan reasoned trying to make Sean understand that putting the blame on the female agent wasn't going to help.

"Am I supposed to be that much happier about that? Really Ryan, why are you here? What are you fighting for?" He was close now and Ryan could see the veins in his neck strain.

"I am fighting because it is the right thing to do! Don't you dare turn this on me because I'd rather be you than be me at the moment." He yelled at the taller man.

"Oh yeah and why is that?" Sean crossed his arms like a petulant child. Albeit a very big petulant child.

"Because you at least exist! According to the state I am dead. I have no life to go back to because that life got taken away by Division. At least you have a life outside of this place." It was still somewhat of a sore spot for Ryan. He would never be able to go back to his life. He was happy to be alive, but whatever happened he might always have to carry another name: If they survived at least.

"And what an existence it is! I have declared war on Division which means I am in the same boat as you guys are. I will never be free unless you win this battle." He seemed to have calmed down inmensly.

"Then you fight with us. God knows this team could use more people." Ryan answered him. He didn't say anything more after that because he couldn't. A pair of lips covered his own and he knew that they were both emotional volatile; therefore stupid to do this. He just didn't care at that moment. He was pushed on the bed with an 'oomph' and for a moment he wondered why Sean was the one initiating everything. He tugged at the other man his shirt and when it was off threw all his weight against Sean to switch their positions. His shirt soon followed together with the rest of their clothing.

While his mind had been blissfully silent while…well it…was happening now it didn't stop racing. This had been a stupid idea. Had Michael and Nikita heard? How had a confrontation about Sean his behavior end up in shagging?

"Stop thinking." Sean muttered from the other side of the bed.

"I'm sorry?"

"I can hear you think from over here, can you please just stop doing it so we both can get some sleep." Ryan turned on the light on his side of the bed on to take a look at the other man in the bed.

"How can you not think at this moment?"

"Whatever happens, we can't change it. We shagged, so what? It's not the end of the world and quite frankly I'm tired." They both were really, but Ryan his mind never really listened to the rest of his body.

"Seriously, how did we get here?" it was more of a rethorical question but Sean apparently felt the need to answer him.

"Well I can tell you a detailed description of how it happened, but I hope you were at least paying some attention to it." The joke was not appreciated.

"You know what I mean."

"Look what do you want from me? A declaration of love? Because you are not getting that. We were both emotional and it just happened. Do the details really matter?" Sean was clearly getting worked up again.

"I suppose not. I'll just go back to my room." Ryan said grabbing his clothing from the floor.

"You do that." Sean murmured, already falling asleep again. 'Well, at least I will get a decent amount of sleep tonight' Ryan thought as he closed the door behind him. Sean was right; the details really didn't matter. It was just a shag after all.

**AN: I hope I can update something else soon, but I am rather busy lately with moving. So please don't kill me for this scene or not updating :P Reviews are much appreciated!**


	9. Talk

**AN Well I am officially moving tomorrow …which means that there will probably be no updates from me for a little while, or it will at least take a little longer. Thanks everyone for their lovely reviews as always :D**

Was that a strange look from Michael? Did Alex just smile at him in a weird way? Did Birkhoff just look at him with disgust? Ryan was freaking out. He hadn't had much sleep and was on a constant vigilance for a sign that maybe somebody had heard something. Sean seemed to be perfectly fine, besides being his rather moody self. Was he really the only one making such a big deal out of this? Well it wasn't really the sex that he was making such a big deal about; it was the reactions from the people in the house. They all knew he wasn't entirely straight, but there was a big difference between knowing and _hearing_ it. He nearly choked on his sandwich when Alex suggested someone should try talking to Sean again: He got everyone their attention with that.

"Oh I don't know. I think Ryan and Sean had a _great talk_ yesterday." Michael made a jab at him. 'So they had heard' the agent in question gulped. Nikita slapped her boyfriend on the back of his head.

"What are you guys talking about?" Birkhoff questioned, putting down his ipad. Birkhoff and Alex slept on the other side of the house, which meant that he probably didn't know and quite frankly Ryan wasn't sure if he wanted him and Alex to know. Sean had after all once been interested in the young female. He didn't get a choice in the matter though as Alex was quick on the uptake.

"Oh My God, You slept with Sean!" She exclaimed loudly, making sure that anyone who hadn't connected the dots now certainly did. She seemed actually rather happy with the idea. He wasn't sure it that was a good thing. "Damn, I thought it would take ages for that to happen. I am happy for you guys though." She added as an afterthought.

"I'm sorry….I am not really following this conversation anymore; but for your information it was just a one-time thing. So could you please drop it." She seemed shocked by his outburst. They all were really. He didn't really care though it was his life to live, he did not need two couples to give him relationship advice on a relationship that didn't even exist.

Four pairs of eyes followed him as he stalked out of the room. Birkhoff looked at the rest of them. "I know that I am the actual genius in this house, but do you guys have no brains at all?"

"How was I supposed to know we weren't allowed to know? They weren't exactly silent about it last night." Michael exclaimed, feeling guilty about the whole situation.

"I think I am going to talk to Sean." Alex murmured, leaving the room. A high pitched beeping from Birkhoff his computers made the remaining agents turn their attention to the screens.

"Another black box has been detected." The resident genius exclaimed as his fingers rushed over the keyboard, trying to locate the signal. "It isn't decrypted yet, but the signal is coming from Germany. I don't need to guess who is there with them."

"Do you mind filling us in on that nerd?" Nikita questioned as she tried to follow the information that was flying across the screen.

"In a second, I have to make sure that he isn't turning the locating bug around on us." Birkhoff muttered as he wrote line after line of codes. Once he finished that he turned around.

"What do you guys know about what I did before I joined Division?" this was a good story and he enjoyed that for once he could stun the others into silence with his awesomeness.

"You were getting into highly classified files by hacking which alerted Division and going from where we are living you also stole a lot of money." It truly was little to go on, but Birkhoff had been in Division long before Michael had. The black ops organization wasn't really the place to share life stories.

"That was only a small part of what I did. Nearly every computer system in the world that is worth hacking has a backdoor designed by me. We hackers know how to recognize work from others. Everyone has their own way of working in codes and writing them. You have no idea how many havoc we can cause if we wanted to. Hacking gets rather boring after a while however so the good ones know where to go for a challenge. Someone posts a goal encrypted in a certain goal and once you crack it you have to make sure you get it before someone else does. It can be files, money, shutting down alarm systems." Birkhoff explained.

"You mean that a thief could decide he wanted to steal something he just asked someone to shut down the system?"

"No, hackers don't do that kind of stuff. We only get stuff we can transfer via computers, no hands on jobs. Digital fingerprints are after all a lot harder to find than real ones. I won nearly every challenge for a couple of years and then there all of a sudden was a new guy online. German and he was good. Not as good as me but a pretty close second."

"So why didn't division get him as well?" Michael agreed with his partners question. People that were so good that even Birkhoff admitted it didn't come by often.

"Because there was no digital fingerprint on him. The only way you knew he had been there was if he left a clue for you. He is like an unbreakable code, he changes his writing pattern every time. If you don't have the fingerprint it is near to impossible to find the one responsible." He tried to keep from using a degrading tone; Not everyone is a genius after all.

"So he is actually better than you? Division caught you after all." He did not like the smug look on Michael his face.

"No, he isn't smarter than me. He may not have a fingerprint but that doesn't mean he is better than me. While he is good at encrypting, he isn't a good hacker. He won some of the more basic challenges, but he never managed to do the bigger ones. When I say basic I don't mean things that you guys could do though." He added a smug look to that sentence, nearly getting a slap from Nikita.

"If we don't know who he is, how do we stop him from helping Ari and Amanda?" She was looking at the quickly changing computer screens.

"Well we don't know who he is, but we do know where he is thanks to our ever amazing black box." Birkhoff replied, typing in a few codes. "It will take a few minutes to triangulate the signal because this guy is certainly using some sort of jammer. Not one that is good enough to keep me out however." He finished with his typing and went to grab another energy drink in the kitchen.

"So how is everything going between you and Alex?" Michael asked as he joined the nerd in the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Birkhoff feigned ignorance.

"Please nerd, you ran out of this building without so much as even a notice to her where you were going. Not even giving us a clue whether you were coming back. Alex was pretty upset with your actions. She was happy when you came back and the money she gave you was to show you she understands, but you hurt her. Did you even apologize for that?" Michael tried not to sound too accusing as Seymour had the annoying habit of shutting people out when they did that.

"She didn't really seem that upset when I spoke to her so I think we are okay." The resident genius did not want to tell Michael that while they had slept in the same bed Alex had been distant. She had placed herself as far on the edge of the bed as she possibly could and he had noticed the stiffness in her muscles.

"Come on man! This is Alex we are talking about, she nearly fooled Amanda with her acting. Talk to her Birkhoff or you may not have a relationship at the end of it all."

"Thanks Mikey, but I do not need relationship advice from someone who still hasn't been able to talk to his girlfriend about their future together." Michael threw him a look. "Don't look at me like that; I know about the ring dude." The computer gave off a loud beep, signaling it found the data they needed. Michael didn't say anything after that.

"Okay, our guy lives in Lutherstad Wittenberg, Germany. I'm pulling up the satellite images now." The pictures showed a rather large villa with a view of the Elbe.

"Can we get a live view?" Nikita questioned, who had been called back in by Michael. There were a few seconds of black before a black and white scene was playing before them of the villa. On one of the sundecks there was a woman, clearly Amanda, talking to someone else. The other occupant wasn't very tall, nearly pixie like, with short hair making her almost look like a child. Nikita opened her mouth to ask if Birkhoff could run a facial recognition but the program was already up and running on one of the other screens.

"Anna Kuhlhoff. Twenty four and rich. She is the owner of the villa and there are no other occupant registered. No children or husband. I think our black box decrypter is a woman!" Michael laughed at the sour look on Birkhoff his face. "You are not telling me you are angry because you didn't know she was a woman?"

"No! I am angry at the fact that she is younger than me." He grumbled, feeling insulted Michael thought he was a sexist.

"What is exactly our plan? It will take us at least two days to get to Germany and set up." Nikita was reading through the extra files on Anna.

"The black box will be decrypted by the end of this day, maybe a little longer. Whatever you do; Amanda and Ari will have Division their dirty little secrets." Birkhoff explained to them.

"Not if we sent in Division. They will probably have some sort of team near them."

"You want to send in Division!" Nikita exclaimed. "You want to lead them straight to the black box?" Michael pulled her against him, muttering soft words of nothingness in her hair to calm her.

"I do not want to have them get their hands on the box, I want them to get their hands on Anna. If they take her to work for them or kill her, she will not be able to decrypt the box that way. Is it possible for you to send a hint to Division about her and a signal to Ari and Amanda?" the question was aimed at Birkhoff.

"Getting Division in there is no problem, it's getting only Amanda and Ari out with the box that will be difficult. Any hint send to them will automatically end up at Kuhlhoff her door."

"But if Division knows who she is, she will be on the run for the rest of her life. She doesn't know their program like you do, she will not be able to hide from them long enough to decrypt the box, right?" It was a long shot, but the only one they had right now.

"I'll send the trace to Division and a red alert to Anna her house. Let's see what she's made off." The genius muttered as his nimble fingers once again roamed the keyboard.

There wouldn't be much happening for the next couple of hours, which gave Michael and Nikita some time for themselves. The beach looked bleak and empty with the grey clouds hanging over it. "Birkhoff hasn't talked to Alex yet." Michael told Nikita as they relaxed on one of the benches outside the house.

"I can understand his reluctance. His fight was with me for losing his money and the whole deal with Carla, but he ran out on Alex too. It must be difficult to face the consequences of that." His girlfriend replied, trailing soft patterns on his leg.

"Alex told me she wanted what we had. To be totally honest and open with each other. Birkhoff has been hiding things from her and she has had some trouble admitting things to him. Now they are in this mess. I'm not sure they can actually stay together if they do not talk about things." He hated to see them both so torn apart while at the same time loving each other so much. They were together and apart at the same time and the delicate balance they had right now would soon start to shift one way or the other.

"We cannot force them to talk Michael. They are both grown ups. Do you want to lock them in a room until they finally talk? Because if we do that to them we might as well put Sean and Ryan in a room as well." Looking at him she realized she put an idea in his head. "Michael no! We can't do that to them. They are going to fight it tooth and nail, not to mention that they will literally break the door down."

"Why should we not do it? They will hardly wreck the house and they all need to talk. We were forced together in a room and it only brought us closer together." He kissed the top of her head as she shuddered at the memory.

"How do you plan to even get them together in a room. I doubt they will willingly enter the room with the knowledge they will be locked up."

"We will just tell Alex and Birkhoff you want to see them and you tell Sean and Ryan I want to speak to them about a mission. Leave the room for a second to grab something and then lock the door."

"Michael I love you, but you watch to many movies." Nikita mumbled as she shut him up with a kiss. The plan was put in motion after dinner though.

"Alex, Nikita wants to see you in our room…something about a dress, I think." The girl in question left in search for the older woman.

"Ryan, Michael had some questions about a few reports you left for him to read. He is in the study I think."

"Birkhoff, Nikita wanted to ask you something. Don't look at me like that, I have no idea what she wants either. She is in out bedroom I think."

"Sean, Michael wanted to know if you were up for some sparring sometime…he is in the study right now." Nikita smiled as the navy seal left his room in search for Michael and then quickly moved to her own room. Alex was already there.

"Hey you wanted to see me about a dress?" She questioned her mentor. It was at that moment Birkhoff walked into the room. In a quick move she shoved the nerd in front of her and took a few steps back until she was at the door.

"Nikki, what the hell…" Birkhoff began, looking from one female to the other.

"You two need to talk, so talk." Ignoring their protests she closed and locked the door behind her.

Sean and Ryan reached the study at the same time and for an awkward moment tried to figure out who should enter the room first. Michael was sitting at the desk and stood up quickly when both men looked at him quizzically. Without saying a word he walked to the door and locked it behind him, using their disbelieve against them. "You guys clearly need to talk. You are not going anywhere until your problems are solved. A word of advice, Birkhoff likes his house to stay in one piece and breaking down the door won't solve anything." He met Nikita in the living room, wondering how the two couples were faring in the other rooms. Hopefully nothing would be destroyed.

**I know I haven't written much balex scenes in this one, but the next chapter will mostly be focused about them talking to each other and solving their problems. **


	10. Promises kept

**AN Woohoo chapter ten everyone! To be honest I have really no idea when I am going to end this story, but if I reach chapter twenty I will definitely buy myself a red velvet cup cake :D.**

Birkhoff pulled out his phone the moment they heard Nikita leave the hallway. He could access his ipad from here, making it possible to open up the windows in this room: which were normally electronically locked. If he succeeded in doing that he could walk out of the room and go on with hiss day. Alex had sat down on the bed, apparently resigned to her faith.

"Birkhoff, put the phone down will you." She commanded from him.

"No way, Princess. In about a minute we will walk out of this room. This is my house, did they really think they could lock me in?" He kept tapping on his phone, not realizing alex had stood up until she pulled it from his fingers. "What the…"

"DO you really think that walking out of this room is going to solve anything? They locked us in here for a reason!" She threw the phone on the bed and for a moment he was tempted to grab it and finish with what he had started. His moment of silence was all Alex needed to finally start venting her frustrations.

"Don't you even see what is going on between us! Don't you see we are falling apart! I am sick of just ignoring the problem Seymour. We need to talk or I am walking out of this room as a single woman!" She looked on the verge of panic; raised voice, pulling at her hair, franticly moving around.

"Alex please, tell me what is wrong and I will try to fix it…" Birkhoff hated seeing her like this. It reminded him too much of the time she had been tested by division. Her screaming as a high voltage had coursed through her body. He may not have loved her back then, but he never enjoyed needless pain.

"You left me Seymour! You ran out of here with your laptop and giving us no sign of ever coming back! I could understand you were angry with Nikita and hurt for losing the last thing that reminded you of being once the great Shadow Walker, but you left me too…" She sank down on the bed, pulling her knees to her chest.

Birkhoff tried to take in all she had said. "Did Nikita say anything about the talk she and I had when I came back?"

"No, why would you ask that?" She seemed insulted for him only picking up that particular piece of information.

"You said that I was hurt because I lost my connection to Shadow Walker, I only told Nikita that." He was genuinely puzzled on how she knew that bit of information.

"It may come as a shock to you, but I actually know you. I love you. Did you really think I didn't connect the dots? Money was never really the issue because you know I am loaded as well. You didn't seem to upset about blowing your house up when you guys were under attack. You were calling it all your work, your savings. I understood better than anyone at that moment what it meant when you said to blow up that truck. Why do you still think you are on your own? Do I not show up on your radar at all?" She seemed to get smaller and smaller with each word.

"You do matter Alex, more than anything." He thought back to those moments in the café, where he had been totally alone. Where no one laughed or joked with him when he was being his normal self. Just looks of pity and people laughing at him instead of with him. "I am just not used to having someone I am responsible for. I have been alone for most of my life Alex, I don't think anyone has ever so much as tried to understand me." He sat down next to her. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I just thought that with my behavior towards Nikki you would side with her."

"Seymour, you have to realize I am not going anywhere." She squeezed his hand.

"That's the point, I can't get over the fact that one day you are going to get up and get your perfect fairytale. The one with the prince and the three kids and the white picket fence. Being on my own has protected me all these years and I am not sure I can give that up." He intertwined their fingers.

"You already have. We are not two different pieces Birkhoff, you are just as much a part of me as I am of you. Don't think it doesn't scare the shit out me either, but losing you scares me far more than that." He looked at her with an uncommon vulnerability in his eyes. "You promised me you would trust me, was that a lie?"

"No, it's just difficult after being on my own for so long. I never had the happy family moments when I was younger like you did. I come from an abusive father and an alcoholic for a mum. You had a family you could trust back then and Nikita later on, then there was that Nathan guy. The only true friend I have ever had that was human died after two years from cancer…" He was venting years of frustration, but to Alex it was a great revelation about who Birkhoff really was.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I just need you to understand that when you walked out that door it felt like you were walking out on me, on us. I don't want to get up one day and find someone else to have a picket fence with. So please don't make me. Even if you do not feel like it and you would like to run away; come to me. I can't promise you I will always make it better, but together we are a lot stronger than divided."

"How can you be so sure you will not get up after all this is over and you have your freedom back?" He sounded so broken, so lonely. While Alex hated seeing him like that, it was a relief to know he was sharing his fears with her.

"Because when you talk about a white picket fence I see blonde, curly haired geniuses and a prince with a love for computers and a sugar rush. I don't want that view if you aren't that prince." She placed her head on his shoulder, one hand playing with the short hair at the back of his head.

"Just one thing; we are not getting a cat." Birkhoff murmured as he pulled her against him falling back on the bed. She kissed him on the mouth. "We will see about that." Was her reply, making sure the genius was occupied with….other things.

They had been staring at each other for the best part of thirty minutes now. Both blaming the other for getting stuck in the office. Ryan let out a big sigh, sliding down even further down his chair.

"Will you just stop that." Sean grumbled from his spot on the ground.

"Wow it does talk. What am I supposed to stop?"

"That whole sighing thing, it's annoying."

"Well you are annoying me so I guess we are even then." It was petty and childish but right now Ryan really wanted to punch something and he was pretty sure Sean would punch back, hard.

"Wow and you are wondering why it was just a shag and nothing more."

"Who said I was thinking about that. Contrary what you believe: you are not that great." That was a low blow, but it wasn't like Sean was playing exactly fair either. The man in question stood up and walked over to where Ryan was sitting. He leaned in until his mouth was just inches from the other agent his mouth. The smell of his cologne and something purely male washed over Ryan. All of a sudden he was gone.

"Pupils blown wide, erratic pulse and your breathing has sped up. No you are definitely not attracted to me. How could I ever think that." Sarcasm was dripping of each word.

"Just because you are physically attractive doesn't mean your performance is just as good." Ryan bit back.

"Want to have a repeat performance to see if it is?"

"Why, it was just a shag after all. No need to repeat it!" They were yelling at each other now.

"What is your obsession with that? Alex told me you were whining about it during breakfast as well!"

"I just don't like that you think you can just screw me and leave again whenever you please!"

"What is the problem exactly. You enjoyed it the last time I did it."

"The problem is that we were getting along perfectly fine before your mother died and now the only way to have contact with you that isn't a fight means having sex with you!"

"Don't you dare mention my mother." His voice had dropped in a deathly whisper and it was far more scarier than the yelling had been. Ryan knew however that that was exactly the sore spot he needed to press.

"Do you really think she would like seeing you like this? You got her revenge and you are fighting a war against the other people responsible, but you cannot go on like this. If you stay angry and closed off you are going to blow up one day. Putting not only yourself but also us at risk." He tried placing a hand on the other man his shoulder but he shook it off.

"I can't give you what you want." Sean muttered putting his hands on the desk.

"I know that, but talk to us. Alex is worried about you, we all are. It will help you." A click in the lock notified them of their release. The smaller man turned towards the door, ready to leave the room.

"Hey Ryan." Sean called out. "I can't give you what you want right now…but maybe…"

"Don't make promises you can't be sure to keep. Come talk to me when you can." With those words the two men parted.

**AN: Hope you guys liked this Not sure what I will be doing about the next chapter though. There are a couple idea in my head, but I am not certain. Any ideas you guys?**


	11. The good and the bad

**AN I wanted to write something extreme before the show was going to mess up my story entirely (with that I mean probably Sean and Alex kissing and saying I love you or something. To quote Birkhoff: Not cool man!) So hear it is, hope you guys all like it :D BtW I totally recommend the vid A drop in the ocean about Birkhoff and Alex made by Destined4Delena. It's on youtube and every time I want to see it I want to write. **

Alex had been feeling a bit off for the past couple of days, but this night it was at its worst. She had been tossing and turning for most of the night trying to find a right position to sleep in when it happened. A sharp stab of pain in her abdomen had her gasping. There was a wetness between her legs soaking through her clothes into the sheets.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Birkhoff questioned from the other side of the bed.

"I don't know." She groaned, gripping her stomach. Birkhoff turned on the lamps on the bedsides to have a better look. The sheets had shifted giving him a clear view of the bed and Alex her pajama pants; they were covered in blood.

"Jesus Alex, your bleeding!" He exclaimed.

"Get Nikita…" The pain was slowly ebbing away, leaving a dull throb in the cramped muscles.

Birkhoff nearly knocked his phone of the table in his haste to grab it. There was no way he was leaving Alex alone right now. "Birkhoff what the…" Came the sleepy voice of Michael on the other end of the line. "Shut up! Something is wrong with Alex, I don't know what but she is bleeding." He was panicking. He took a few calming breaths as he heard the phone shut off on the other side. Trying to stay calm he turned towards his girlfriend. "You are going to be okay." He whispered stroking her hair.

The door slammed open as Nikita and Michael rushed to Alex her side. The blood made them pause for a second. "What happened Alex?" Nikita murmured as she pulled the young girl against her. Rocking her softly trying to sooth her. Birkhoff felt completely useless as he watched the older woman so expertly help his girlfriend.

"I don't know." Alex hiccupped. "I wasn't feeling well these past few days and I was trying to fall asleep when there was a stab of pain down here." She placed her hand on her stomach. "I don't know where the blood came from."

Michael seemed to have an epiphany all of a sudden. "Alex when was your last period?" Both woman glared at him. "Don't look at me like that. I mean before this happened, when was your last period….is it possible that you had an…miscarriage…" Everyone waited with bated breath as Alex did the math in her own head. Was it possible? Suddenly Alex shot up and ran into the adjoining bathroom throwing up. Nikita followed her after the initial shock had worn off just a little. Birkhoff wasn't sure what he should do. '_Alex had been pregnant'_ was all that ran through his head. Was he supposed to go to her, or leave this to Nikita as she was better with the emotional stuff. _Alex had been pregnant._ As if on automatic control Birkhoff stripped the bed of its cover and placed a new one on it. He handed it to Michael.

"Could you…could you burn this please." His throat felt closed up. Alex had been pregnant with his child, his child. He could have been a father. Michael took the soiled sheets without any words and left the room. Sometimes being silent was a lot better than empty words. The door to the bathroom opened and Nikita stepped out.

"Alex is currently in the shower, but I think she can use your support right now Seymour." She left the room after that. Birkhoff ignored the sobs he heard when she closed the door behind her. She was Michael his worry, he had another female to comfort.

He found Alex on the floor of the shower, warm droplets of water dripping of her hair and body. She had finally started to get lively again, smile again, and now it was all quite literally flowing down the drain. When she finally looked up his heart broke. He hated the fact that he would never know what would have happened if that child had made it, but she had the burden of knowing that it died inside of her.

"Come on, lets get you out of there into something warm and dry." She stepped into the towel he was holding up, wrapping it securely around her. Birkhoff knew that he was nearly supporting her entire weight with the way she was leaning against him, her hands fisted into his shirt as if clutching him would keep her from drowning. He was afraid it might just be too late for that.

Once they were settled back in the big, now clean, bed Birkhoff decided to talk. If they didn't talk about it now they would both try to deny it ever happened. It would be easier in the beginning, but could end up destroying them in the end.

"Alex…"

"Can we just not talk for a second Seymour." Apparently she had decided against talking.

"Alex we need to talk. Ignoring this will not make it disappear." He stroked her hair, trying to get her to relax.

"What is there to talk about. We didn't know about it and clearly it wasn't meant to be there in the first place."

"Alex this isn't your fault. Just because we didn't know about it didn't mean it was any less wanted." She was shivering in his arms, her body too tired to go into full sobbing mode.

"It is my fault, I should have noticed when I missed my period. I should have taken care of my body more. How can you say it was wanted, we are in the middle of a war."

"We are all so busy all the time, we are all stressed. I am not surprised you didn't notice Alex, no one expects you to. You are right; we are in the middle of a war. I would, however, never regret having a child with you Alex. Had it survived." He gulped, the loss still very raw. "I would have loved it just as much as I love you."

"God, I just feel so stupid for mourning something I never even knew was there."

"It's not stupid. I can't help but wondering what it would have looked like either. Whether it would have had your curls or my eyes. If he or she would be as beautiful as you." His eyes got a little misty at the idea.

"Maybe they would get my beauty, but I really hope they will get your brain. Your smile would be good too." She looked up at him, smiling through watery tears.

"Are we okay?" he whispered, brushing away a couple of stray hairs.

"Not yet, but we will be." They didn't talk anymore after that and sleep soon followed.

On the other side of the house Nikita was lying in her own boyfriend his arms, pondering the recent events. Alex was like a little sister to her and seeing her in such distress did not sit well with Nikita. She always had wanted to protect the younger female, but this was something she could not help her with. This loss was to personal to ever fully understand by a bystander. She could only imagine what Birkhoff must be feeling. The nerd came from a broken home and Alex came from a destroyed home. Losing some part of their newly formed family must feel like a sledgehammer to their faith.

"Stop thinking about it." Michael muttered. "They are both strong and their relationship is better than ever; they will get through this."

"Of course they will. It's just so sad." She wrapped her arm a little more securely around his waist. "Why can nothing good ever happen in this house."

"Okay, that's it." Michael sat up, leaving a surprised Nikita in the bed as he went over to the dresser. "I was planning this for later, when I found the right moment. I am however getting the idea that there never will be a right moment."

"Michael what are you saying." She had absolutely no idea what he was planning, and Nikita hated surprises.

"What I am saying is that you are right: something good should happen in this house. So do you think you might be able to let Alex focus on wedding preparations to take her mind of the miscarriage?" He held open a black velvet box with a beautiful silver ring in it. A larger diamond was in the middle with two smaller ones on the sides. It took Nikita a couple of seconds to realize exactly what he was saying.

"yes! Yes! Yes!" she launched herself at him making them both fall back with an oomph.

"I love you." She said kissing him on the mouth.

"Love you too." Michael answered when he regained his breath. Maybe not everything that happened in the house was happy and joyful, but sometimes there were great memories made.

**AN: I am not certain about the second part, but I didn't want the chapter to be too depressing.**


	12. Mr and Mrs Loaded

**Aww man, despite loving the episode Dead drop big time, I hate the fact that they soooo spoil my story. Though I loved the very very short moments between Alex and Birkhoff…they go ahead and make her kiss Sean…or him kiss her if you want to be exact. Don't get me wrong I do not hate the couple, but I would have loved it if I could stick with the show for most of the story…well lets just make it work (and maybe swap a few characters in the scenes (A) ).**

It had been a couple of weeks after the miscarriage and things seemed to turn up for the better. The news of Michael and Nikita had been met with a flurry of congrats and hugs. Unfortunately things soon turned for the worst with Sean getting shot, Percy building a bomb and a high profile CIA agent with ties to Division. It was terribly sweet though to watch Ryan fuss over Sean. It was very obvious what they wanted, or better yet who they wanted, and Birkhoff had no trouble pointing it out to Ryan. Multiple times.

Despite his reservations on the Navy Seal he was clearly no pushover and Birkhoff could respect that. Wanting to fight while still wounded and shirtless; well that said a lot about the mans character. Thankfully they all made it out alive, but he was seriously getting sick of having to blow up his houses. He had been rather fond of the last one. Now his money pile was so depleted and the team growing he was death serious about Alex paying for the new one. He wasn't planning to sleep in a bunk bed without Alex for the rest of the time, despite the very nice offer from Ryan to let them stay there.

"What about this place?" Alex questioned as she pointed to one of the folders on the table.

"No, too much open ground, we'd be sitting ducks there." Michael commented pushing it to the "no" pile.

"This one is surrounded by forests and swamps." Ryan said handing them a different one.

"And also way too far from the city." Nikita dismissed the file immediately.

"How about this place?" Sean commented, it was nearly perfect when it came to the lay out. "It's too small for all of us to stay at." Michael answered, dropping another one on the pile.

"Hey guys, I think I found it." Birkhoff commented from the computer where he had been searching for proper venues.

"It could work." Alex kissed his cheek as a reward. "How much is it?"

"About two and a half million."

"How do we proceed." She sat down on his lap while he pulled up the right paperwork.

"Wait a second you guys just spent a couple of million just like that….on a house?" Ryan exclaimed.

"Not just a house, it's a mansion which has everything we need." Alex commented, feeling slightly insulted.

"Don't pay attention to Mr and Mrs Loaded here. They are both filthy rich." Michael joked earning a punch from Alex.

"I would have been a lot richer if you guys hadn't decided to blow up my twenty million." Birkhoff joked.

"What you haven't stolen it yet from some unsuspecting bank?" Michael shot back.

"I may have taken some money back…."

"BIRKHOFF!" His girlfriend looked at him wide eyed.

"Not from the good guys Alex." He shushed her. "Lets just say there is a drug lord out there with an empty bank account."

"It's fine then." She kissed him on the mouth.

"To use your own words Nerd: Get a room." Michael grumbled earning himself a hit from Nikita.

"The money offer is put in, but I doubt they will not sell it. We offered a little over the asking price." Said nerd told them as the send button was pressed.

"All that money for a house….unbelievable." Sean muttered. He had a senator for a mother so he knew the expenses of living the high life, but he had never been one to spend much money.

"Hey, not just a house dude. This baby has got a swimming pool and a gym in the basement, enough rooms for all of us, a tennis court, surrounded by woods, a shooting range a large kitchen and living room. Not to mention the high tech security system. We need the space if you want to survive this war." Birkhoff commented, feeling slightly annoyed with the whining they were getting for using their money for the team.

"Why, you think Division will find us sooner because we have smaller house than this monster?" Sean retorted.

"No, but I doubt you would survive long in a small house with two hormonal females." Sean had no comeback to that.

"Come on you guys, we have a lot more stuff to get considering most things got blown up. We really shouldn't make a habit out of this." Nikita muttered as she pulled up a list of things they needed to order.

Alex was spacing out again. Ever since she had lost the baby she had moments where she would space out entirely. Whenever she came back from wherever her mind went she looked as if she could break into a million pieces. The group had pretty much scattered after they had gotten the confirmation about the house. She had been reading on the couch one moment and the next she wasn't even really seeing the book anymore. Birkhoff was worried about her. He knew she had every right to be upset about it, but he just wished she would talk to him. Tell him where she went every time her eyes went blank. She was back again with that teary look he hated seeing on her face.

"Everything alright Sunshine?" he sat down next to her, pulling her against him.

"I'm fine Seymour…I just can't help it. Whenever I read something or see something I end up thinking about what it would have been like if it…" She didn't have to finish the sentence. He had occasionally wondered as well what it would be like if Alex hadn't lost it. How she would look with a round belly, glowing with pregnancy. If he would be a good father. At Division he never imagined something resembling a normal life as that wasn't in the stars for him there. Once he left Division he imagined what it would be like having a life free of anyone who he had to answer to. Yet as he sat with Alex on the couch, her steady breathing tickling his chin and several other people he could actually call friends around, he didn't want anything else. He wanted her is his life and call him a romantic sap but he wanted her to be the mother of his children. "Why don't we find out once Division is finished?"

"What are you saying….?" She raised her head from his shoulder to look him in the eye.

"I'm saying that once this fight is over and we can start a, relatively, normal life that we should try and see how a child of us would look…..you know have one…" he was rambling now.

"You want to have a child out of wedlock?" She was actually teasing him, with such a serious conversation. He could do the same if that was what she wanted.

"Well I already said yes to a lifelong commitment of children, we could get married….if you really wanted too…" She kissed him to shut him up.

"Yes to both questions Seymour." She smiled at him. "This must be one of the worst proposals ever." She murmured.

"Now wait a minute…" She cut him off before he could start to protest "And I wouldn't want it any other way."

**AN sorry guys I am a bit well blocked on how to continue but I am sure I'll find something. I hope you like it at least :D**


	13. The epilogue

**AN: Considering the big season finale has been aired I've decided to make this a bit of an epilogue to my story. I am not finished with Homequarters yet, but this story has officially reached its ending. **

"Mommy, mommy!" A little blond girl yelled as she slammed open the door. "Thom is being stupid!" Alex groaned it was too early for this.

"Daddy, Kati keeps stealing the remote! I don't want to see 'my little pony' and I had it first!" another voice joined the little girl her whining. Birkhoff almost felt a need to put his pillow over his head.

"How late is it?" He muttered to Alex who seemed to have the same idea.

"Too damn early." She groaned. She truly loved her children, but she did not want them at her bedside at seven in the morning. The children however didn't really care for their parents sleep and death glares hardly were effective after seven years.

"Could you two please quiet down, you will wake up…" Too late, a loud wail came from the baby-phone next to the bed. Birkhoff sat up. "I will deal with Mikey, you can deal with the twins." Alex almost had the idea to smack her pillow on the back of his head. Of course he would take the easiest one to deal with. Michael was the nicest baby you could have. Which was good news considering they had one set of very active twins already. Alex glanced at the clock. Seven am, Nikita and Michael would be here in three hours.

"Come on, you two. Let's go and make some pancakes." Her two children always were pacified with food. They were a bit like Seymour in that aspect. When she finally had found her dressing gown underneath her bed and moved into the kitchen the eggs, milk, flour and pans were already placed on the counter. She laughed as she spotted the chocolate chips with the rest of the ingredients.

"What did I tell you two about the chocolate chips? You only get those on special occasions." She looked pointedly at her two twins, who tried to pull of an innocent look. As if they had totally forgotten about it. "Aunty Nikki and uncle Michael are coming, that's special." Thom argued.

While they were twins, Thom and katiana couldn't be more different in looks. Thom was dark haired with blue eyes while Katiana was blond. Katiana had Alex her facial structure and Thom had Birkhoffs. Straight hair and curls. It was easy to tell them apart, they had however inherited Seymour his IQ somehow and they were the two most devious kids when working together. Alex sometimes still couldn't believe her life had gotten this good.

After the death of Percy, division had stayed up and running. Ryan did a marvelous job with it and had Sean to rely on when it got difficult. Even after ten years they still sometimes acted like hormonal teenagers, to the great amusement of Alex. The whole team had stayed with Division to make sure the cleaning up went smoothly and to keep helping the world. It was a difficult job and more than once there had been fights about whether or not they should quit when one of them got hurt.

Alex stayed on active missions for three years until she fell pregnant with the twins. The moment she knew she was pregnant she avoided every form of dangerous activity. She did not want to lose her child a second child, not to mention the fact that Birkhoff had outright refused to let her do anything that involved leg work. Eventually after biting his head off a couple of times they had reached an understanding about what she was allowed to do.

During all the hectic work that followed the reorganization of Division there had been no time for weddings, and it took nearly eighteen months for Nikita and Michael to get married. It was a rather bohemian themed wedding on the beach. No extremely fancy white dress or tuxedos, but loose fitting white clothing and bare feet. It had been beautiful and Alex had cried her eyes out, which had made Birkhoff more than a little uncomfortable.

Alex and Birkhoff had kept it just as simple in their own backyard. She had worn a white dress however and her mother had given her away. Even though they still didn't really connect the way a mother and daughter should, she was her daughter and she loved her mother. She was also rather thankful for the help when the twins were born. Her mother had had a child already. While she didn't really agree with Alex becoming a working mom, she understood that times had changed. Alex worked mostly from the operations room with Birkhoff.

Nikita had received the terrible news five years ago that thank to her rather violent lifestyle she was unable to have any children. Too much kicks in the stomach and electrocutions had done too much damage to have her ever carry a child past the first trimester. It had nearly torn Michael and Nikita apart. They had decided on adoption instead and had recently gotten the custody of four year old Trinity. Abandoned when she was barely a year old at a church in England. Trinity Church to be exact. She was the most adorable thing and Alex always felt need to spoil the little girl. So did Michael.

While Michael had experience with raising kids, Nikita still needed some help once in a while. It was rather hilarious when she had called Alex in a panic because her child hadn't responded to her interrogation of what happened at school. She was doing rather well now and was really starting to get into the mother role. They were coming by later today as they did every week. Two warm warms wrapped themselves around her waist.

"Morning Sunshine, smells good." Alex leaned back against him as she flipped another pancake onto a big plate. Her silver ring with a beautiful tear shaped sapphire sparkled in the day light. While she and Birkhoff certainly had their problems, they were still madly in love.

"I just got word from Ryan. They found Amanda hiding in a house in the alps. She was apparently waiting for us, Ari died two days of a heart attack. The body was there. Apparently she switched off all the jammers and waited for us to come and finish her. She took down seven agents before they apparently killed her. I almost feel sorry for her." They had been searching for Amanda and Ari for years after a mission gone wrong while retrieving the black box in their possession. They got the black box, but Ari and Amanda escaped. While Alex had hated the woman, Amanda truly did love Ari. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if she lost Birkhoff. She would die with grief probably.

As she put the plates down on the table she looked at her beautiful family. She felt Birkhoff wrap his hand around hers and squeeze it. Sometimes Alex really couldn't believe how she had gotten this lucky, but she did thank the stars that she did.

**AN: Sorry for the rather abrupt end, but I really thought this the best way to go. I am thinking about a sequel perhaps, but I will continue my other stories first. **


End file.
